• 1.1 Be aware of the care needed when handling a colony of honey bees;
• 1.2 Be aware of the reactions of honey bees to smoke;
• 1.3 Be aware of the personal equipment needed to open a colony of honey bees and the importance of its cleanliness;
• 1.4 Be aware of the reasons for opening a colony;
• 1.5 Be aware of the need for stores.
• 1.6 Be aware of the importance of record keeping.
• 1.7 Be able to open a colony of honey bees and keep the colony under control;
• 1.8 Be able to demonstrate lighting and the use of the smoker;
• 1.9 Be able to demonstrate the use of the hive tool;
• 1.10 Be able to 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 Be able to identify the female castes and the drone;
• 1.12 Be able to identify brood at all stages;
• 1.13 Be able to demonstrate the difference between drone, worker and honey cappings;
• 1.14 Be able to identify stored nectar, honey and pollen;
• 1.15 Be able to take a sample of worker bees in a suitable container;
• 1.16 Be able to state the number of worker bees required for an adult disease diagnosis sample;
• 1.17 Be able to demonstrate how to shake bees from a comb and how to look for signs of brood disease;
• 1.18 Be able to name and explain the function of the principal parts of a modern beehive;
• 1.19 Be able to discuss the concept of the bee space and its significance in the modern beehive;
• 1.20 Be able to assemble a brood frame and fit it with wired wax foundation;
• 1.21 Be able to discuss spacing of the combs in the brood chamber and super for both foundation and drawn comb and methods used to achieve this spacing.
• 2.1 Be able to give an elementary account of the development of queens. workers and drones in the honey bee colony;
• 2.2 Be 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);
• 2.3 Be able to name the main local flora from which honey bees gather pollen and nectar;
• 2.4 Be 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;
• 2.5 Be able to give a simple description of the collection and use of pollen, water and propolis in the honey bee colony;
• 2.6 Be able to give an elementary description of the way in which the honey bee colony passes the winter.
• 2.7 Be able to give an elementary description of how to set up an apiary;
• 2.8 Be able to describe what precautions should be taken to avoid the honey bees being a nuisance to neighbours and livestock;
• 2.9 Be able to describe the possible effects of honey bee stings on humans and able to recommend suitable first aid treatment;
• 2.10 Be able to give an elementary description of the annual cycle of work in the apiary;
• 2.11 Be able to describe the preparation of sugar syrup and how and when to feed bees;
• 2.12 Be aware of the need to add supers and the timing of the operation;
• 2.13 Be aware of the dangers of robbing and how robbing can be avoided;
• 2.14 Be able to describe a method used to clear honey bees from supers;
• 2.15 Be able to describe the process of extracting honey from combs and a method of straining and bottling of honey suitable for a small scale beekeeper, including hygiene;
• 2.16 Be aware of the various web based resources relating to beekeeping such as BBKA and Beebase.
• 3.1 Be able to give an elementary description of swarming in a honey bee colony;
• 3.2 Be able to give an elementary account of one method of swarm control;
• 3.3 Be able to describe how to take a honey bee swarm and how to hive it;
• 3.4 Be able to describe the signs of a queenless colony and how to test if a colony is queenless;
• 3.5 Be able to describe the signs of laying workers and of a drone laying queen;
• 3.6 Be able to describe a simple method of queen introduction;
• 3.7 Be able to describe one method of uniting colonies and precautions to be taken;
• 4.1 Be able to describe the appearance of healthy brood, sealed and unsealed;
• 4.2 Be aware of the reasons for good apiary hygiene;
• 4.3 Be aware of the reasons for regular brood comb replacement.;
• 4.4 Be 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 Sac brood;
• 4.5 Be able to describe methods for detecting and monitoring the presence of varroa (a mite) and describe its effect on the colony including awareness of the effect of associated viruses;
• 4.6 Be aware of acarine (a mite) and nosema (a fungus) and their effect upon the colony;
• 4.7 Be able to describe ways of controlling varroa using integrated pest management techniques;
• 4.8 Be aware of the current legislation regarding notifiable diseases and pests of honey bees;
• 4.9 Be aware of whom to contact to verify disease and advise on treatment;
• 4.10 Be able to describe how comb can be stored to prevent wax moth damage;
• 4.11 Be able to describe how mice and other pests can be excluded from the hives in winter.