Syllabus
2008 ‘Basic Beekeeping Course’
The aim of the Basic course is to teach a complete beginner how to become a competent beekeeper in five months. January to mid March is spent in teaching theory, from mid March onwards sessions are practical leading to the each student owning and managing their own hive.
Costs:
£27 full membership of Barnet & District Beekeepers’ Association + £30 Course Fee
Total = £57.00
All sessions commence at 2:00p.m.
Session 1 to 11 are held at Wood Street, High Barnet.
The location for Session 12a-d & f-h will be notified during the course
Sat 5 Jan Session 1:
Introduction & Life cycle of the honey bee
Lecturer: Roger Hedgecoe
The aim of this session is to give the student a detailed understanding of the honey bees life cycle over a 12 month period.
At the end of the session they should be have a reasonable grasp of the basics. The stages of development of workers, drones and queens. Cell types (worker ,drone & queen cells) when drones are raised, how and when queen cells are built, swarming, queens mating, queens laying pattern, killing of drones life expectancy of workers at different times of year.
Sat 12 Jan Session 2:
Types of hive: Their advantages/ disadvantages
Lecturer: Selwyn Phillips
The aim of this session is to teach the student about the main types of hive ( WBC & National), how to protect At the end of the session they should be able to names the parts of both National & WBC hives as well as being able to build them. See BBKA pamphlet B7
They should also understand the bee space and the advantages/ disadvantages of top and bottom bee spaces.
Sat 19 Jan Session 3:
Hive construction and cleaning
Lecturer: Selwyn Phillips
At the end of the session they should be able to construct a National hive from a kit of parts and how to clean and sterilize an old hive with a gas torch.
Sat 26 Jan Session 4:
Frame types and construction & Protective clothing
Lecturers: Selwyn Phillips / John Symes
At the end of the session they should be able to construct frames and install foundation. They should also understand the advantages/ disadvantages of the various types of frame and protective equipment
Sat 2 Feb Session 5:
The Science of Swarming:
Lecturer: Robert Coselli
Swarm Recognition and prevention (artificial swarm techniques) & combining colonies.
At the end of the session the student should fully understand why bees swarm, how to recognize the preparations (i.e. drones & queen cells) How to create an artificial swarm and how to combine colonies.
Sat 9 Feb Session 6:
Swarm Management
Lecturer: Robert Coselli
Positioning hives, installing a nucleus, & Swarm Collection.
At the end of the session the students should know how and where to site a hive How to install a nucleus and how to take and run a swarm.
See BBKA pamphlet B3
Sat 16 Feb Session 7:
Bee diseases and ailments
Lecturers: Diane Randall / Janice Nicholson
At the end of this session the student must: Be able to identify AFB & EFB and recognize other ailments
Sat 23 Feb Session 8:
The beekeeper and the law
Lecturer: John van Issum
Understand what varroa is, the threat it poses and how to treat it with IPM i.e. a combination of biotechnical techniques & varroacides
Sat 1 Mar Session 9:
Honey Bee Parasites (Varroa & IPM)
Lecturers: Diane Randall / Janice Nicholson
By the end of this module the student should understand what varroa is, the threat it poses and how to treat it with IPM i.e. A combination of boi-technical techniques & varroacides
Sat 8 Mar Session 10:
How to handle bees
Lecturer: Roger Hedgecoe'
This Module is to teach students, be able to light and use a smoker, the advantages of the various hive tools on offer, the use of a manipulating cloth how to open a hive, inspect the brood and what to look for i.e. eggs, lava capped brood unripe honey capped honey pollen disease Keeping records This is a class room Module without bees. Know how to react to bee stings.
Sat 15 Mar Session 11:
The years work Part 1 (Aug to Dec)
Lecturers: Linda Perry/Mike Fullagar
This Modules aims to summarises all the information from previous Modules and puts it in context of the beekeepers year
Sat 29 Mar Session 12:
The years work Part 2 (Jan to Jul)
Lecturers: Linda Perry/Mike Fullagar
This Modules aims to summarises all the information from previous Modules and puts it in context of the beekeepers year
Session 12a: Sat 5 Apr First inspection.
Session 12b: Sat 12 Apr Practical bee handling
Session 12c: Sat 19 Apr Stonleigh BBKA convention
Session 12d: Sat 26 Apr 10:00 Hive building
14:00 Practical bee handling
Session 12e: Sat 3 May Queen marking
Session 12f: Sat 10 May Onwards Apiary work
All Modules commence at 2:00p.m.
Module1 to 12 are held in the Stable Room, Whalebones, Wood Street, High Barnet.
The location for Modules 12 a –f will be notified during the course
Numbers in the titles refer to sections in ‘Beekeeping study notes Modules 1, 2 3 & 4’
After keeping bees for one year all students are encouraged to obtain a ‘British Beekeepers’ Association Certificate of Basic beekeeping’ this takes the form of an oral and practical test conducted by a BBKA Assessor.