Manual for Trainers of Small Scale Beekeeping Development Workers (Peace Corps, 1983, 392 p.): Session 11: Functional biology of the honey bee

Manual for Trainers of Small Scale Beekeeping Development Workers (Peace Corps, 1983, 392 p.)

		(introduction...)
		Preface
		Acknowledgments
		Introduction
		Session 1: Establishing observation hives - group resource assessment
		Session 2: Introduction to family live-in
		Session 3: Training site investigation
		Session 4: Defining expectations
		Session 5: Assembling protective clothing
		Session 6: Constructing KTBH's and preparing the apiary site
		Session 7: Bee colony cycle - introduction to Trainee facilitation
		Session 8: adult learning and an introduction to method demonstrations - basic insect anatomy
		Session 9: Communication and listening skills
		Session 10: Establishing individual nucs
		Session 11: Functional biology of the honey bee
		Session 12: Introduction to assessment and selection
		Session 13: Introduction to program evaluation
		Session 14: Bee management techniques
		Session 15: Basic nutrition
		Session 16: Types of bees and the bee-human relationship
		SESSION 17: Foraging
		Session 18: Hive design criteria and swarm boxes
		Session 19: Role of the volunteer in development
		Session 20: The bee space and types of hives
		Session 21: Obtaining bees
		Session 22: Transferring colonies
		Session 23: Family live-in analysis
		Session 24: Queen rearing
		Session 25: Health and hygiene
		Session 26: Swarming, supersedure and absconding
		Session 27: Culture shock
		Session 28: Constructing a swarm board and swarms
		Session 29: Visual aids-queen rearing preparation
		Handout 29A: Selecting communication tools
		Handout 29B: Visual aids
		Session 30: Extractors and solar wax melters
		Session 31: Women in development-the role of men and women
		Session 32: Mid-program evaluation
		Session 33: Melliferous plants
		Session 34: Preparation for site visit-information gathering
		Session 35: Site visit-follow-up and cloncusions
		Session 36: Honey
		Session 37: Other hive products
		Session 38: Anaphylactic shock
		Session 39: Introduction to the bee fair
		Session 40: Beeswax field trip
		Session 41: Bees and trees
		Session 42: Project planning and development
		Session 43: Creamed honey and beeswax products
		Session 44: Introduction to final assessment
		Session 45: Cost analysis and project evaluation
		Session 46: Bee diseases and pests
		Session 47: Insecticides and bees
		Session 48: Cooking with honey
		Session 49: Introducing innovation-expectations beyond training
		Session 50: Future training needs
		Session 51: Site restitution
		Session 52: Final program evaluation
		Appendices

Session 11: Functional biology of the honey bee

Trainer Note

· This is a Trainee-facilitated session. See Session 7, "Bee Colony Cycle", for guidelines.

TOTAL TIME

2 hours

OVERVIEW

Good beekeeping requires that the beekeeper know bees, their needs and how to supply the requirements of the colony. The beekeeper who understands bee biology is better able to ensure that appropriate management techniques are carried out. This session provides the Trainees with background biology on honey bees and gives them the opportunity to observe the various life stages of bees.

OBJECTIVES

· To discuss the castes, anatomy and life cycle of bees.

· To discuss the role of each caste in the colony.

· To list the resource needs of the colony.

· To examine the life cycle stages of honey bees.

RESOURCES

- Small Scale Beekeeping, Chapter 3.

- The Social Organization of Honeybees

- The Hive and the Honey Bee

- Contemporary Queen Rearing, p. 19.

MATERIALS

blackboard, chalk, samples of different castes of bees, observation hive with bees, nucleus with bees, schematic drawing of honey bee (see p. 81, The Hive And the Honey Bee), hand lens, personal protective clothing, smoker, fuel, matches

PROCEDURES

Step 1: Anatomy of the Honey Bee (15 minutes)

Pass around samples of various honey bees and hand lenses. Point out and describe the basic features of the anatomy of the honey bee on a large schematic drawing while the Trainees examine the samples. Focus on those structures which are useful to bees in their role as pollen and nectar gatherers. Introduce vocabulary terms from the language in which the Trainees will be working. Encourage discussion and answer questions.

Step 2: The Castes and the Honey Bee Life Cycle (35 minutes)

Give a brief lecture on the castes and the honey bee life cycle. Describe the three castes found in honey bees. Emphasize the characteristics which distinguish one caste from another.

Explain the specific functional duties and relate those duties to the anatomical structures of each caste. Include in the discussion the temporal change of tasks in workers. Outline the life cycle of the queen, worker and drone. Emphasize the role of nutrition in determining the formation of queens and the different developmental times for each caste.

Step 3: Resource Needs of the Colony (20 minutes)

Question the Trainees as to the resource needs of a bee colony and list these. Point out that the specific resource needs of the colony change during different periods of the yearly cycle and relate the availability of resources to management. Explain that the beekeeper can supply specific nutritional needs during certain periods to increase the productivity of the colony.

Step 4: Demonstration/Review (35 minutes)

Use a colony of bees to demonstrate and review the topics discussed. Use a colony that demonstrates a normal, healthy condition and stress the importance of recognizing such a condition in a colony so that one quickly becomes able to spot a diseased condition. Provide the Trainees with an opportunity to distinguish between drone and worker brood and between eggs and young larvae. Point out the royal jelly surrounding all larvae less than two days old. Also point out callow adult bees or tenerals.

Step 5: Session Evaluation (15 minutes)

Trainer Note

· See Steps 5 and 6 of Sesson 7, "Bee Colony Cycle".