General Husbandry Assessment

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

Hi All,

I've taken the plunge and submitted an application to take the General Husbandry Assessment this year.

I would be grateful for any useful tips or advice about the assessment as I always seem to get really nervous with these things.

Also, if anyone else is planning on taking it this year and fancies throwing a few messages back and forth to help each other I would be very happy to join in.

Stewart

 

[eddiespangle]

The following clauses have been added;

2.28 Discuss the circumstances in which you may need to kill a colony.

2.29 Demonstrate changing brood frames in a colony either by Shook Swarm or Bailey Frame Change.

3.11 The effect of weather on a colony and foraging.

5.5 Describe how to distinguish between Varroa destructor and Braula coeca.

 

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

Thanks Eddie,

Figured I would answer the questions just for my own benefit.......

2.28 AFB infection after statutory notification etc. Heavily infected (with any other pathogen) with a dwindling small colony that could cause infection via robbing etc? Not totally convince this is totally correct though?

2.29 Bailey Comb exchange - add new brood box on top of old brood box with QE between. Move Queen on old frame into new top brood box and feed until all foundation has been drawn.

3.11 Poor weather (Cold and wet) may prevent a colony from foraging and cause it to starve if it has insuffiecient stores to last. A prolonged dry spell could also cause a lack of forage because of low nectar levels also causing starvation.

5.5 Varroa destructor is a mite, oval in shape with eight legs, Braula coeca is a louse which has six legs

Every mistake gets me closer to the solution................

 

[tonybloke]

Hi Stewart, you have to show your honey and wax producing facilities, also proof of at least one method of queen rearing.

 

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

I convert my conservatory into Honey processing clean room. Will have required honey and wax ready for them.
I used a double brood with a cloak board as my queen rearing set up last year which worked really well so will use that again this year.

Stewart

 

[iand]

Hi Stewart,
I did this exam a couple of years ago, it took between 2-3 hours. Everything is looked at. So aim to give a guided tour, lay all the required bits out (put out of sight anything undesirable). There will probably two examiners, while one is chatting the other will be looking at your gear, making notes. Finding things to ask about.
You will need proof of Q rearing, I showed the cell bar with all the open cups. A sample of honey/wax as if for sale, this can be in the honey house which needs to be setup as if for extracting. Cleanliness is everything for one particular examiner, honey house especially and in the apiary as well hive tools, no scraped off wax on the floor etc.
We made up a nuc & did a Q intro (had a Q spare), so have a hive in mind for that operation or show them the one you did last weekend if you can't wait, but have an empty box with frames so you can go through the motions & chat about it.
It was here the 2nd examiner after looking around the apiary found a problem nuc just looking at the entrances. So we had to give it a check. Drone layer - discussion - course of action decided on, OK.
Then back home for coffee & a more formal question session.
Afb Efb & honey temps are probably favourites.
Enjoy the day, I know you will hot sweaty, cold sweaty, a bit shaky, but approaching it like showing visitors round got into the swing of things and helped me a lot.
Give me a call if you wish.

Ian

 

[Easy Beesy]

I'm planning it too - are you going to attend the BBKA convention one-day thingy on preparing for the GH exam? Might be worth it - I'm dreading doing it once - I couldn't face doing it again if I fail.

 

[Nellie]

5.5 Varroa destructor is a mite, oval in shape with eight legs, Braula coeca is a louse which has six legs

Every mistake gets me closer to the solution................

Braula Coeca is a wingless fly. Louse seems to be a fairly loose description for a wingless insect but Braula is not a true louse.

Just to be anal about it

I'm in two minds whether to do the general assessment this year or next. I don't think another year would hurt and I'd like a more organised queen rearing set up than I've used so far.

The following clauses have been added;

2.28 Discuss the circumstances in which you may need to kill a colony.

That's a bit of a vague one, is that a generic "you" (i.e. the general situations where that may be necessary) or you specifically as a beekeeper?

Arguably with the either foul brood, the initial decision as to whether the colony should be killed doesn't lie with you as the individual, your responsibility if you suspect E/AFB is to report it to the SBI.

If it's the latter I think you could make a case that if you have an aggressive colony in, for argument's sake, an allotment setting, you can't source a new queen and can't get an alternative site where they won't pose a risk then killing the colony is an option of last resort.

 

[picton farm]

I have a couple of friends who took it a couple of years ago and although they had a stab at queen rearing they failed dismally. Apparently it didn't matter at all as they been very well organised and written everything down.

 

[Easy Beesy]

God, yes, we need immaculate records too, I hear. Mine have gaps where I lost the envelope I jotted notes on when my phone ran out of juice. Or when I just sneaked a peek but didn't do a full inspect. Oh hell, bit more 'revision' to do

 

[For want of a better word]

How many GCSE equivalents is this course worth?

 

[Nellie]

Was 35, now .35

 

[Hombre]

General beekeeping husbandry worth 3,5 GCSEs? JCB engineering was 5 now 1. I would have thought that that would have remained above 1, as it must cross several disciplines such as maths and . . . wait for it, engineering.

 

[UEAHoneyBeeMan]

I'm planning it too - are you going to attend the BBKA convention one-day thingy on preparing for the GH exam? Might be worth it - I'm dreading doing it once - I couldn't face doing it again if I fail.

Yes I have booked onto the convention GH Course. I had some advice that you should treat it as if you were giving a guided tour of your apiary to a couple of complete strangers who happen to have a real interest in what you are doing.

Might make the process easier.......maybe?????

 

[iand]

God, yes, we need immaculate records too, I hear. Mine have gaps where I lost the envelope I jotted notes on when my phone ran out of juice. Or when I just sneaked a peek but didn't do a full inspect. Oh hell, bit more 'revision' to do

I just said I keep my notes on the computer, here is a print out. She took one look at it and decided to pass on that one.
Back to the key thing be knowledgeable but look as if everything you do with your bees is thought out & organised, its your system after all!

 

[DanBee]

Regarding the queen raising element, they do want to see what you use to raise, mate, and introduce queens. They are generally relaxed about what method you use, particularly if you only have a couple of colonies, provided you are actively raising from a colony selected for good characteristics. If your queen raising relies on using queen cells out of swarmy colonies you'll fail to impress, however!