Have you always wanted to start keeping your own bees?
Learn all about bees, from biology and breeds to beekeeping, honey
production, using bee products and managing bees in the landscape. This
course is a great foundation for anyone interested in beekeeping or
simply interested in learning more about bees, honey and other bee
products.
There are 8 lessons with interactive self assessment
tests to revise what you have learned at the end of each lesson.
Lesson Structure
There are 9 lessons in this course:
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Scope and Nature of Bees and Beekeeping
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Types - honey bee, Asian bee, bumble bee, Solitary bees, etc
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Significance of bees
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Legal restrictions
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Locating a hive - factors to consider
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Bee Taxonomy - different families
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Hive bees - Apidae family
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Types of Honey bee - including hybrids
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Bred bees
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Types of Stingless Bees
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Bee Biology
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Bee physiology
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Exoskeleton, head, thorax, abdomen
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Life cycle
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Castes and their roles
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Queen
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Pheromones
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Other factors that trigger swarming
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Role of Royal Jelly
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Worker Bees
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Drones
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Nurse bees, Field bees
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How Bees Produce Honey
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Chemistry of Honey - proteins, amino acids, vitamins, minerals
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Bee Behaviour
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Equipment, Materials, Obtaining Bees
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Obtaining bees
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To Catch a Swarm
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Buying in Bees
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Tools and Equipment - bee brush, blower, smoker, emlocks, escape board, queen catcher, queen muff, top feeder, spur wheel embedder etc., hive tool
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Bee proof suit
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Step by step honey extraction
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The Hive – Types, Construction, Inspection
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The hive
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Lids
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Supers
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Bases
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Excluder
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Frames and Foundations
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Finishes
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Choosing the right Hive
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Langstroth Hive
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British National Hive
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Top Bar Hive
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Warre Hive
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Darlington Hive
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Straw Skep Hive
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Log Hives
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Keeping Stingless Bees
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Inspecting hives -step by step
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Working Bees: Seasonal Husbandry and Harvesting
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Seasonal tasks - summer, autumn, winter, spring
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Feeding bees to Avoid Starvation
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Making a syrup
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How bees are Fed
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Dry Sugar
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How often to Feed
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Feeding bees Pollen Substitutes
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Moving Hives
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Reversing Brood Chambers
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Swarms
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Preventing a Swarm
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Bee Hive Cells -swarm, queen, worker and drone cells
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Drone Control
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Splitting Colonies
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Honey production
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Collecting and Processing
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Uncapping
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Wintering
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Collecting and Processing Beeswax
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Working with the different bee species
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Review what you have been learning
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Propolis Collection and Processing
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Apitoxin Collection and Processing
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Collection and Processing Royal Jelly
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Collecting and Processing Pollen
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Working with Different Bee Species
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Honey Production with Stingless Bees
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Bee Health Management
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Contributing Factors to Bee Health
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Indication of Health Problems
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Overview of Problems
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Pests
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Varroa Mites
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Acarine Mites
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Amoeba
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Bee Lice
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Wax Moths
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Wasps, other Insects and Larger Animals
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Diseases
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American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood
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Chalkbrood
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Small Hive Beetle
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Nosema Disease
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Viruses
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Other Problems
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Pest and Disease Control
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Quarantine and Hygiene
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Self Medication by Bees
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Supporting Bees
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Care with Pesticides and other Chemicals
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Bees in the Landscape
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Why Honeybees make Good Pollinators
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Native Bees
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Introduced Bees
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Wild or Feral Bees
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Helping Bees by Planting
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When are Honeybees Most Active
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Attracting bees to your garden
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How far will bees Travel
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Plants that Attract
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Dealing with Stings
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Using Honey and Bee Products
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Medicinal Uses for Honey
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Risks of Honey Use
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Uses for other Bee Products
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Beeswax
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Storing Honey
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Uses for Honey in Food
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Mead
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Cooking with Honey -salads, savoury, sweets and desserts
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FINAL ASSESSMENT
