Teaching practice: What amazes me even more are some of the skills that the Basic Asessment syllabus requires students to demonstrate. For this reason I cannot go along with your suggestion that people should learn the "proper" way first, reasonable though your suggestions as well as your liberal attitude to "natural" beekeepers doubtlessly are in the main.
Best wishes
Heidi
Which skills amaze you please? As a lead tutor on a (free) current course leading to the (optional) Basic assessment I would like to know.
Here is the syllabus for your information:
1.0 MANIPULATION OF A HONEYBEE COLONY The Candidate will be aware of:
1.1 the care needed when handling a colony of honeybees;
1.2 the reactions of honeybees to smoke;
1.3 the personal equipment needed to open a colony of honeybees and the importance of its cleanliness;
1.4 the reasons for opening a colony;
1.5 the need for stores
1.6 the importance of record keeping
The Candidate will be able to:
1.7 open a colony of honeybees and keep the colony under control
1.8 demonstrate lighting and the use of the smoker;
1.9 demonstrate the use of the hive tool;
1.10 remove combs from the hive and identify worker, drone and queen cells or cups if present,and to comment on the state of the combs;
1.11 identify the female castes and the drone;
1.12 identify brood at all stages;
1.13 demonstrate the difference between drone, worker and honey cappings;
1.14 identify stored nectar, honey and pollen;
1.15 take a sample of worker bees in a match box or similar container;
1.16 state the number of worker bees required for an adult disease diagnosis sample;
1.17 demonstrate how to shake bees from a comb and how to look for signs of brood disease.
2.0 EQUIPMENT The Candidate will be:
2.1 able to name and explain the function of the principal parts of a modern beehive;
2.2 aware of the concept of the bee space and its significance in the modern beehive;
2.3 able to assemble a frame and fit it with wax foundation;
2.4 aware of the reasons for the use of wax foundation;
2.5 aware of the spacing of the combs in the brood chamber and super for both foundation and drawn comb and methods used to achieve this spacing.
3.0 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE HONEYBEE The Candidate will be:
3.1 able to give an elementary account of the development of queens. workers and drones in the honeybee colony ;
3.2 able to state the periods spent by the female castes and the drone in the four stages of their life (egg, larva, pupa and adult);
3.3 able to give an elementary description of the function of the queen, worker and drone in the life of the colony;
3.4 able to give a simple description of wax production and comb building by the honeybee;
3.5 aware of the importance of pollination to flowering plants and consequently to farmers and growers;
3.6 able to name the main local flora from which honeybees gather pollen and nectar;
3.7 able to give a simple definition of nectar and a simple description of how it is collected, brought back to the hive and is converted into honey;
3.8 able to give a simple description of the collection and use of pollen, water and propolis in the honeybee colony;
3.9 able to give an elementary description of swarming in a honeybee colony;
3.10 able to give an elementary description of the way in which the honeybee colony passes the winter.
4.0 BEEKEEPING The Candidate will be:
4.1 able to give an elementary description of how to set up an apiary;
4.2 able to describe what precautions should be taken to avoid the honeybees being a nuisance to neighbours and livestock;
4.3 able to describe the possible effects of honeybee stings on humans and able to recommend suitable first aid treatment;
4.4 able to give an elementary description of the annual cycle of work in the apiary;
4.5 able to describe the preparation of sugar syrup and how and when to feed bees;
4.6 aware of the need to add supers and the timing of the operation;
4.7 able to give an elementary account of one method of swarm control;
4.8 able to describe how to take a honeybee swarm and how to hive it;
4.9 able to describe the signs of a queenless colony and how to test if a colony is queenless;
4.10 able to describe the signs of laying workers and of a drone laying queen;
4.11 able to describe a simple method of queen introduction;
4.12 aware of the dangers of robbing and how robbing can be avoided;
4.13 able to describe one method of uniting colonies;
4.14 aware of the reasons for uniting bees and the precautions to he taken;
4.15 able to describe a method used to clear honeybees from supers;
able to describe the process of extracting honey from combs and a method of straining and
4.16 bottling of honey suitable for a small scale beekeeper;
4.17 aware of the need for good hygiene in the handling of honey for human consumption;
4.18 aware of the legal requirements for the labelling and sale of honey;
4.19 able to give an elementary account of the harvesting of beeswax;
4.20 aware of the need for good apiary hygiene;
4.21 aware of the need for regular brood comb replacement.
4.22 aware of the various web based resources relating to beekeeping such as BBKA and Beebase.
5.0 DISEASE AND PESTS The Candidate will be:
5.1 able to describe the appearance of healthy brood; able to describe the signs of the bacterial diseases American Foul Brood (AFB) and European Foul Brood (EFB), the fungal disease Chalk Brood and the viral disease Sacbrood;
5.2 able to describe methods for detecting and monitoring the presence of varroa (a mite) and
5.3 describe its effect on the colony including awareness of the effect of associated viruses;
5.4 aware of acarine (a mite) and nosema (a fungus) and their effect upon the colony;
5.5 able to describe ways of controlling varroa using integrated pest management techniques;
5.6 aware of the current legislation regarding notifiable diseases and pests of honeybees;
5.7 aware of whom to contact to verify disease and advise on treatment;
5.8 able to describe how comb can be stored to prevent wax moth damage;
5.9 able to describe how mice and other pests can be excluded from the hives in winter.
If "many such" beekeepers used methods you approved of, there would be no need to promote "natural" beekeeping, would there?
