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FIBKA Syllabus for Preliminary Examination of Proficiency in Apiculture |
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This information is provided in addition to that provided by FIBKA themselves on their webpage. It is provided for those that may intend gaining their preliminary certificate at the Gormanston Summer School and gives an idea of what can be studied in advance. The emphasis is not on technical excellence, but one of general understanding, the preliminary certificate should be regarded as a stepping stone towards gaining further beekeeping knowledge rather than a certificate of competence.
This page prints in a convenient format to a single A4 page, without extraneous navigation components or ex planetary text (you may need to set minimal printer margins).
The Examination comprises a half hour written paper and a practical Apiary Examination based on the bulleted items listed below.
The student/candidate will need to be aware of the following...
- The need for care when handling a colony of honeybees.
- The reactions of honeybees to smoke.
- The personal equipment needed to open a colony of honeybees.
The student will need to demonstrate that they are able to...
- Open a colony of honeybees and keep the colony under control.
- Demonstrate the use of smoke.
- Demonstrate the use of the hive tool.
- 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.
- Identify members of the three castes and identify brood of all stages.
- Demonstrate the difference between drone, worker, and honey cappings.
- Identify stored nectar, honey and pollen.
- Capture a few worker bees and put them in a matchbox or mailing cage for disease diagnosis.
The student will demonstrate that they are...
- Able to name the parts of a modem bee hive.
- Aware of the concept of the bee space and its significance in the modern hive.
- Able to assemble a frame and fit it with wax foundation.
- Aware of the reasons for the use of wax foundation.
- Aware of the various spacings of combs in the brood chamber and super for both foundation and drawn comb.
The student will show that they are...
- Able to give an elementary account of production of queens, workers and drones in the honeybee colony.
- Aware of the existence of laying workers and drone laying queens.
- Able to specify the periods spent by each caste in the four stages of its life cycle (egg, larva, pupa and adult).
- Able to give an elementary description of the function of the members of each caste if the life of the colony.
- Able to give a simple description of wax production and comb building by the honey bee.
- Able to give a simple definition of nectar and describe how it is collected then brought back to the hive.
- Able to name the main local flora from which honey bees gather pollen and nectar.
- Able to give a simple description how nectar is converted into honey.
- Aware of the use of nectar and honey in the life of the colony.
- Aware of the collection of water and its uses in the colony.
- Able to give a simple description of the collection of pollen and its importance in the life of the colony.
- Able to describe the origins, collection, and use of propolis in the honey bee colony.
- Able to give an elementary description of swarming in a honey bee colony.
- Able to give an elementary description of the way in which the honey bee colony passes the winter period.
The student will need to be...
- Able to give an elementary description of the siting of colonies.
- Able to give an elementary description of the year's work in the apiary and the management of a colony throughout a season.
- Able to describe how and when to feed bees and the preparation of syrup.
- Aware of the need to add supers and the timing of the operations.
- Aware of the use of the queen excluder.
- Able to give an elementary account of one method of swarm control.
- Able to describe how to take a honeybee swarm and how to hive it.
- Aware of the condition of queenlessness.
- Able to describe the signs of laying workers and a drone laying queen.
- Aware of the dangers of robbing and how robbing can be avoided.
The student must...
- Be able to describe the signs of American Foul Brood (AFB) and European Foul Brood (EFB) be able to describe the appearance of healthy brood and how it differs from diseased brood or chilled brood.
- Be aware of acarine, nosema and amoeba and their effect upon the colony.
- Know how to obtain expert assistance, if any disease or poisoning by toxic chemicals suspected.
The candidate will have to demonstrate that they are...
- Able to describe the methods used to clear honey bees from supers.
- Able to describe the process of the extraction of honey from supers.
- Aware of the value of bees to farmers and growers and of the hiring of colonies for pollination services.
- Able to describe a way in which comb can be stored to prevent wax moth damage.
- Able to describe a way by which mice can be excluded from the hives in winter.
Printed from Dave Cushman's website Live CD version
Written... 28, 30, 31 December 2007,
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