Education and Examination Board
Syllabus of Examination for Proficiency in Apiculture :
Intermediate Examination
Natural History of the Honeybee
The student will be able to:
- describe the stages in the life cycle of the three castes and
the average number of days for each stage of metamorphosis,
- describe the function of each caste in the life of the
colony,
- give an elementary description of parthenogenesis in the
honeybee,
- give an account of caste production in the females of the
honeybee, including difference in type of cell and feeding,
- detect a drone laying queen and give a simple description of
the causes for this type of queen failure,
- detect laying workers and give an elementary description of
the circumstances which allows them to occur in a colony,
- give a simple description of sexual reproduction in the
honeybee, the aerial mating of the queen and the drone, and the
multiple mating of the queen,
- give a simple description of the work of the worker honeybees
including comb building and repair, feeding the brood and queen,
defence, ventilation and temperature control,
- give a simple description of how the individual bee
orientates to its hive,
- give a simple description of the communication dances of the
honeybee workers,
- give a simple description of the annual population cycle of
the honeybee colony,
- describe the influence of the local flora and weather on the
variation in the size of the population of the colony,
- give a simple description of queen substance and its
influence on the production of queen cells,
- give a simple description of food sharing in the colony,
- give an account of the processes of swarming and
supersedure,
- give an account of how the honeybee colony passes the
winter.
External Anatomy and Internal Biology
The student will be able to give:
- an elementary description of the structure and segmentation
of the exoskeleton,
- a detailed description of the external structure of the
queen, worker and drone honeybee,
- a detailed description of structure and an elementary
appreciation of the function of the appendages of the honeybee
worker (the mouthparts, the antennae, the legs, the wings and the
sting),
- an elementary description of the general structure and
function in the adult worker bee of the alimentary canal and the
digestion of sugars and pollen,
- the excretory system, including the function of the
malpighian tubules,
- the respiratory system and the interchange of oxygen and
carbon dioxide,
- the exocrine glands with particular reference to the
hypopharyngeal and mandibular glands, the circulatory system,
including the heart, dorsal and ventral diaphragm the wax glands
and wax production
Nectar and Honey
The student will be able to give:
- an elementary account of the composition of nectar and its
variations,
- an account of the way nectar is collected and conveyed back
to the colony,
- an elementary account of the conversion of nectar to honey,
including chemical changes of the basic sugars and the storage of
honey by the bee,
- the approximate percentages of the major constituents of a
honey of average composition,
- an elementary description of the process of granulation of
honey,
- an elementary description of the process of fermentation in
honey,
- an account of the use of nectar, honey and water by the
honeybee colony,
- an account of how pollen is collected, carried and
stored,
- an elementary account of the importance of pollen in the
nutrition of the honeybee,
- an account of the collection and use of propolis by the
honeybee.
Honeybee Forage, Plants and Pollination
The student will be able to give:
- an account of the main nectar and pollen producing plants of
Ireland and their flowering periods,
- an elementary account of the process of pollination and
fertilisation of a flowering plant,
- an account of the honeybee as a pollinating insect and of its
usefulness to farmers and growers
Disease and Poisoning
The student will be able to give:
- a detailed account of the signs of Varroosis, how it spreads,
methods of detection, monitoring and treatment,
- a detailed account of the diagnosis of American Foul Brood
(AFB) and European Foul Brood (EFB) and a tabulation of the
differences between the signs of these two diseases,
- an account of the ways in which foul brood infections can
spread from colony to colony,
- a detailed account of action necessary to take when AFB or
EFB is found, including treatments and sterilisation of
equipment,
- an account of the major provisions of the statutory
regulations relating to Foul Brood, and their implementation in
Ireland,
- a detailed account of the signs and treatment of other brood
diseases,
- a detailed account of the signs of, and the recommended
treatment for adult bee diseases, an account of chilled brood and
its possible causes,
- an account of colony starvation and possible remedial
actions,
- an account of the poisoning of honeybees by toxic chemicals
and what action to take when this occurs and the practical
measures possible when prior notification is received,
- an account of the expert services available to the beekeeper
at National and County level.
Apiary and Honeybee Management
The student will able to give:
- describe one of the various types of hive at present in use
in Ireland,
- describe the various frames used in a hive with which the
student is familiar,
- define and describe the concept of the "bee space",
- describe the purpose of wax foundation within the moveable
frame hive,
- illustrate two methods of wiring frames and embedding wire
into foundation,
- describe the various common methods of maintaining the
spacing of frames in hives and give the measurements of two
recognised spacings,
- give a detailed account of how to commence beekeeping,
including the acquisition of bees, sources of equipment, costs,
and any precautions necessary when acquiring bees or
equipment,
- describe the criteria to be observed when moving colonies of
bees from one place to another (including optimum distance,
vibration, temperature, ventilation. water supply),
- describe the factors to be considered when siting colonies in
a small suburban apiary,
- give a detailed account of the year's work in the
apiary,
- describe in detail the principles of feeding a colony of
honeybees,
- describe the most common types of feeder in use,
- describe in detail the principles of supering,
- describe the importance of supering as a factor in swarm
control,
- give an account of the use of the queen excluder and describe
the types in common use,
- give a detailed account of one method of swarm control and
prevention,
- describe in detail methods of taking and hiving a swarm,
- describe in detail methods of making nuclei,
- give an account of the various uses to which nuclei can be
put,
- give a detailed account of management of nuclei and swarms to
turn them into productive colonies,
- give a detailed account of methods of uniting colonies and be
aware of the precautions to be taken,
- give an account of the methods of dealing with laying
workers,
- describe in detail a simple method of rearing a small number
of queens,
- describe the symptoms of queenlessness and how this may be
confirmed,
- describe methods of queen introduction by cage, uniting or
direct action, itemising necessary precautions, describe the
problem of robbing and methods used to avoid it, or to terminate
it once it has started,
- describe in detail the clearing of bees from supers, by the
"shake and brush" method and by using clearer boards,
- describe in detail how to prepare colonies for the winter
period,
- describe the damage to colonies caused by mice and detail
methods of excluding them from the hives in winter, describe
methods of providing a suitable water supply for bees within the
apiary,
- give an account of the management of colonies for the
production of sections and cut comb honey, describe the
principles of honey extractors, both tangential and radial,
- describe methods of storing comb with particular reference to
prevention of wax moth damage and sterilisation against
nosema,
- describe wax moth damage to stored comb,
- describe small scale methods of recovering beeswax from both
comb and cappings,
- describe a method of preparing home-made wax foundation,
- describe the possible effect of stings and be able to
recommend a suitable first aid treatment.
Honeybee Products and Their Preparation for Show and for
Sale
The student will be able to:
- provide samples of honey bottled suitable for sale, discuss
with the examiners the types of honey obtained in his/her
district, discuss the preparation of honey for the show bench,
provide samples of beeswax and discuss its refining and
preparation for the show bench or for sale,
- give a detailed account of the main requirements of the
statutory regulations affecting the handling, preparation for
sale, composition, labelling, and weight of packs of honey,
- give a detailed account of the various methods used to decap
honey combs, and of separating the cappings from the honey,
- give a detailed account of the extraction of honey, including
heather honey, from combs and the various types of extractor
used,
- give a detailed account of the straining and settling of
honey after extraction,
- give a detailed account of the storage of honey including the
underlying principles of storage,
- give a detailed account of the preparation and bottling of
extracted honey (liquid, creamed or granulated) for sale,
- give a detailed account of the preparation of sections and
cut comb honey for sale,
- give a detailed account of the bottling of chunk honey for
sale,
- give a detailed account of the process of granulation in
honey including its cause, initiation, speed, texture and size of
crystal,
- give a detailed account of fermentation in honey,
- give approximate results which would be obtained from an
analysis of a typical sample of honey and an outline account of
the range of variations of the main constituents, give a detailed
account of the properties of honey including specific gravity,
viscosity, hydroscopicity and reactions to heat,
- give a detailed account of the methods of recovering
beeswax,
- give a description of the main constituents and physical
properties of beeswax,
- give a detailed account of the uses for, and marketing of,
beeswax,
- give a detailed account of the use of other bee products such
as pollen, royal jelly, venom and propolis,
- give a detailed account of the preparation of bee products
for the show bench.
