Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia – Training Courses

Beekeeping Academy of SloveniaAgricultural Institute of Slovenia

https://sca.kis.si/

22. 03. 2019

Authors: Assoc. Prof Dr Janko Božič, Prof Dr Aleš Gregorc, Dr Metka Pislak Ocepek, Dr Peter Kozmus, Dr Janez Prešern, Helena Jurše Rogelj, Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association

Review and drafting of starting points: Damjana Grobelšek

Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia – Training Courses

Beekeeping Academy of SloveniaAgricultural Institute of Slovenia

https://sca.kis.si/

22. 03. 2019

Authors: Assoc. Prof Dr Janko Božič, Prof Dr Aleš Gregorc, Dr Metka Pislak Ocepek, Dr Peter Kozmus, Dr Janez Prešern, Helena Jurše Rogelj, Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association

Review and drafting of starting points: Damjana Grobelšek

2

Contents

Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 3

General Beekeeping ......................................................................................................... 5

Bee Health module under the General Beekeeping course .......................... 6

Specialized Training Courses Following the »PBE« Approach ............... 7

Technologies in Beekeeping ..................................................................................... 8

Food Safety .................................................................................................................... 8

Bee Health ...................................................................................................................... 9

Marketing of Apiculture Products ........................................................................ 10

Queen bee breeding .................................................................................................. 11

Beekeeper as Promoter of Biodiversity .............................................................. 14

Training Courses in Beekeeping for Persons with Physical

or Mental Disability .................................................................................................. 15

Apitourism .................................................................................................................... 16

3

Introduction

Pursuant to the Agriculture Act (ZKme-1E; Act amending the Agriculture Act,

Offi cial Gazette of the Republic of Slovenia, no. 22/2018 of 4.4.2018), the Bee-

keeping Academy of Slovenia was established as an organisational unit of the

Agricultural Institute of Slovenia for the purpose of providing informal educa-

tion on beekeeping.

The Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia is a constituent part of the Agricultur-

al Institute of Slovenia. Its training courses will be held at various locations

across Slovenia. The Agricultural Institute is the leading research institution

in agriculture in Slovenia. It is a public research institute that conducts basic,

applied, and developmental research, as well as tasks requiring technical ex-

pertise in agriculture. The Institute also provides training for farmers, education

for young people, and advice for various stakeholders in agriculture. For several

years now it has been active in beekeeping, both in research and in beekeeper

education.

The 2019 training courses are an updated version of the training programme

content drafted by the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association in 2017.

There is tuition to be paid for all the courses provided by the Beekeeping Acade-

my of Slovenia (BAS), as they are part of BAS’s commercial activities, for which

no co-funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food is granted.

The BAS’s key goals are the following:

• to raise knowledge about beekeeping

• to improve the promotion of Slovenia, Slovenian beekeeping, and apiculture

tourism

• to improve employment opportunities

• to eradicate poverty and famine in developing countries

• to raise awareness about the importance of bees and pollination

4

The Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia will carry out its mission to spread the

rich apiculture knowledge it has gathered for more than 200 years by organising

and implementing various types of training courses.

Because the Beekeeping Academy is intended mainly for training foreign na-

tionals, beekeeping instructors, and other interested stakeholders, training pro-

grams will also be held in English in three tracks:

• The fi rst track includes training for apiculture instructors, mentors, and/or

training providers in order to harmonise knowledge and training content.

Training at this level will be carried out by pedagogues and experts from

educational institutions.

• The second track consists of training for the interested public.

• The third track is project-based training for the developing countries imple-

mented by travelling apiculture instructors.

The training programs from the second and third tracks will be carried out by

apiculture instructors and/or training providers who will obtain a BAS certifi cate.

5

General BeekeepingCourse authors: the BAS apiculture instructors and members of the BAS Programme Committee

Introduction: intended for groups of tourists and individuals who would like to become fa-

miliar with beekeeping in Slovenia and take an active part in the work of a beekeeper. The

programme and activities shall be adapted to demand.

General beekeeping is connected to apitourism and educational tourism. Upon completion of

the course the participants shall receive a course completion certifi cate. No test of knowledge

necessary.

Duration: 25 –300 hours

No prior knowledge or competences required.

GB 25-50 Induction to beekeeping in Slovenia

GB 75-100 Detailed induction to beekeeping in Slovenia, the basics of technology, breeding, and health protection

GB 300 Detailed induction and practical work (GB 75–100 + practical work)

6

Bee Health module in the General Beekeeping

courseCourse authors: veterinarians specialised in bee health at the National Veterinary Institute of the

Veterinary Faculty (University of Ljubljana)

This module forms a part of the General Beekeeping course and provides an expert overview

of the topic of bee health. The content and activities are adapted to match the demand and/

or the duration of general beekeeping training. The course will be conducted by veterinarians

and apiculture instructors of the BAS.

Duration: 4–50 hours

Course method: theore cal and prac cal workNo prior knowledge or competences required.

Field of work Key topics

BH 4–8 Measures to prevent disease outbreak and spreading

Disease symptoms and the correct course of action upon detection

BH 12–16 Measures to prevent disease outbreak and spreading

Disease symptoms and the correct course of action upon detection; basic measures to ensure the healthy development of bee colonies; correct use of medication while ensuring safe apiculture products

BH 50 Measures to prevent disease outbreak and spreading

Disease symptoms and the correct course of action upon detection

Basic measures to ensure the healthy development of bee colonies Ensuring safe apiculture products

Workshop on sampling and basic diagnostics of certain disease agents Workshop on the correct use of medication and record-keeping

7

Specialised Training Courses

Following the “PBE” Approach

Introduction: the Beekeeping Academy of Slovenia organises training courses in beekeep-

ing, conceived as an innovative, “problem-based education” programme (PBE). Training begins

with a colloquium on general beekeeping, which is a preliminary step for further specialised

PBE training courses.

The courses can be adapted in terms of schedule and content to suit the aims, opportunities,

or limitations of individual participants and their environment.

8

Technologies in BeekeepingCourse author: Prof. Dr Aleš Gregorc, Faculty of Agriculture and Life Sciences (University of Maribor)

Aim: Training course to acquire comprehensive competences in beekeeping. Participants are

able to adapt their beekeeping activities to the new challenges of production in Slovenia, the

EU, and in the international arena. Participants shall acquire skills to independently maintain

and reproduce healthy bee colonies in an economically viable way, while maintaining high hy-

giene standards and producing safe, high-quality apiculture products. The course also covers

the basics of bee diseases and prevention measures, measures for varroa under the damage

threshold, the marketing of apiculture products, and marketing fundamentals.

Duration: 100 hours

Prior knowledge and competences: the modules are adapted to match the participant’s previ-

ous experience in beekeeping.

Method Content Duration (h)

Lectures: Technologies in beekeeping; keeping healthy bee colonies, reproduction, hygiene

40

Seminar:

Practical work:

Beekeeping technologies

All the topics covered

20

40

Theory exam/Practical exam

Exam: • test • completion of the seminar• practice exam

2

Food SafetyCourse authors: Nataša Lilek, Andreja Kandolf, Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, Marko Borko

Aim: Successful participants acquire the necessary skills and knowledge to independently

produce and process safe, high-quality apiculture products.

Upon completion, participants will:

• be familiar with the applicable legislation

• have acquired a suffi cient level of competence for the independent production and

processing of honey, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly

• have acquired a suffi cient level of competence for the production and processing of

beeswax

• have acquired a suffi cient level of competence for the production of bee venom

Duration: 25 / 50 / 75 hours

Prior knowledge and competences required: a high-school degree (minimum) and the title

Master Beekeeper, or a university degree in agriculture, food processing, veterinary medicine,

or other natural science.

9

Food Safety Legislation (hygiene and technical standards, labelling and MRL, etc.)

Production and processing of apiculture products

Production and processing of honey

Production and processing of pollen

Production and processing of propolis

Production and processing of royal jelly

Production and processing of beeswax

Production of bee venom

Bee HealthCourse authors: veterinarians specialised in bee health at the National Veterinary Institute of the

Veterinary Faculty (University of Ljubljana)

Aim: To provide knowledge on bee health

Duration: 25 / 50 / 75 hours

Prior knowledge and competences: the modules are adapted to match the participant’s previ-

ous experience in beekeeping.

Field of work Key topics

BH 25 Measures to prevent the outbreak and spreading of disease

Symptoms and correct actions upon their detection

Basic measures to ensure the healthy development of bee colonies

Correct use of medication while ensuring safe apiculture products

BH 50 Measures to prevent the outbreak and spreading of disease

Symptoms and correct actions upon their detection

Basic measures to ensure the healthy development of bee colonies

Ensuring safe apiculture products

Sampling workshop and basic diagnostics for certain disease agents

Workshop on the correct application of medication and record keeping

BH75 Measures to prevent the outbreak and spreading of a disease

Symptoms and correct actions upon their detection

Basic measures to ensure the healthy development of bee colonies

Ensuring safe apiculture products

Sampling workshop and basic diagnostics for certain disease agents

Workshop on the correct application of medication and record keeping

Field and laboratory visits emphasising bee health

10

Marketing of Apiculture ProductsCourse authors: Public Advisory Service for Beekeeping, Marko Borko, Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association,

Aim: This course is intended to train beekeepers in marketing. Marketing, just like any other

beekeeping activity, is very important and plays a key role in achieving economically viable

beekeeping.

Duration: 6 h

Prior knowledge and competences: this module is adapted to the participant’s previous expe-

rience in beekeeping.

Key topics:

Legislation covering the selling of apiculture products and processed products

Market analysis

Market communication

Presentation of sales methods

Sales communication

Pricing

The importance of packaging

Presentation of opportunities to increase the economic effi ciency of beekeeping

Examples of good selling practice

11

Queen Bee BreedingCourse authors: Dr Janez Prešern, Agricultural Institute of Slovenia, Dr Peter Kozmus, Slovenian Beekeepers’

Association, Breeding program for Carniolan honeybee

Duration: 24 h

Course content – Queen bee breeding for personal needs

Target Group foreign/Slovene participants (maximum 15)

Potential participants are beekeepers with some experience, yet without practical knowledge of breeding queen bees.

Aim

The basic module is designed for those beekeepers who would like to become acquainted with the process of breeding queen bees. Participants will learn about the biology of bees and various breeding procedures, and will try their hand at practical queen breeding. The aim at this level is to give participants a basic overview of breeding queen bees.

Content Method Duration (h)

Biology and technology of breeding (lecturer)

Lectures 10

Technology of breeding – practical work (technician and lecturer)

Practical work 12

Exam Theory exam/Practical exam 2

Exam description: To successfully complete the course, participants should be able to demonstrate suffi cient theoretical knowledge with an emphasis on the topics listed below. The exam lasts 2 hours and is conducted by the lecturer and technician.

Demonstration of effective record keeping for breeding activities

Technical aspects

Biology of queen bee breeding

Duration: 48 h

Course content – Queen bee breeding for personal needs

Target Group foreign/Slovene participants (maximum 10)

Potential participants are beekeepers with some experience, yet without practical knowledge of breeding queen bees.

Aim

The second stage is intended for those beekeepers who are already familiar with queen breeding. Besides the knowledge covered on the fi rst level, participants in this course will acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for raising a small number of queen bees. After the course, participants will be able to breed a suffi cient number of queen bees for their own needs.

12

Content Method Duration (h)

Biology and technology of breeding (lecturer)

Lectures 21

Technology of breeding – practical work (technician and lecturer)

Practical Work 21

Exam Theory exam/Practical exam 6

Exam description: To successfully complete the course, participants should be

able to demonstrate suffi cient theoretical knowledge with

an emphasis on the topics listed below. The exam lasts 6

hours and is conducted by the lecturer and technician.

Demonstration of effective record keeping for breeding activities

Demonstration of correct colony assessment and proposal measures for selection

Demonstration in practice of preparations for grafting

Grafting of the larvae

Demonstration of preparing the starter/nurse colony and establishing a queen breeding comb

Demonstration of choosing queen cells and their insertion into the nucleus colonies

Duration: 72 h

Course content – professional level – Queen breeding for sale

Target group foreign/Slovene participants (maximum 10)

Potential participants are beekeepers with experience but without practical knowledge of breeding queen bees

Aim:

The level 3 course is intended for beekeepers interested in commercially breeding queens. Apart from the topics included in level 2, level 3 covers the theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for the breeding of a larger number of queen bees per season, as well as knowledge on queen insemination. Furthermore, basic knowledge on bee selection will be gained, in order to select the best possible breeding colony, yielding the best possible queen bees.

Method Content Duration (h)

Lectures Biology and technology of breeding (lecturer)

32

Practical work Technology of breeding – practical work (technician and lecturer)

32

Theory exam/practical exam Exam 8

13

Exam description: To successfully complete the course, participants should be able to demonstrate suffi cient theoretical and practical knowledge with an emphasis on the topics listed below. The exam lasts 8 hours.

Demonstration of effective record keeping for breeding

Demonstration of correct colony assessment and proposal measures for selection

Demonstration of preparations for grafting

Grafting of the larvae

Demonstration of preparing the starter/nurse colony and establishing a queen breeding comb

Demonstration of the preparation of the mating hive

Breeding inseminated queen bees

14

Beekeeper as the Promoter Of BiodiversityCourse authors: Assoc. Prof Dr Janko Božič, Biotechnical Faculty (University of Ljubljana)

Aim: To familiarize beekeepers with biodiversity

Duration: 10 h

Prior knowledge and competences: the module is adapted to participants’ previous experience

in beekeeping.

Field of work Topics

Diversity of honey bee Biological background of the importance of diversity in an indigenous population

Reasons for and consequences of the spreading of differ-ent subspecies of honey bee across the world

Beekeeping for the preservation of the locally adapted and diverse population of bees

Diversity of wild bees and other pollinators

Wild bees in Europe: (the free-living population of Apis melifera, bumblebees, or other representatives of the bee species

Wild bees elsewhere in the world (species of the Apis genus, stingless bees)

Who else is there to pollinate fl owering plants in Europe and across the world (in cooperation with fellow entomol-ogists)?

Diversity of nectar plants Wild plants in Slovenia and its neighbourhood, and the im-portance of diversity (in cooperation with fellow botanists)

Cultivated nectar plants in Slovenia and its broader neigh-bourhood

Wild nectar plants around the world (some of the most recognisable species, how to verify species of local impor-tance)

Cultivated nectar plants around the world (fruit and other ligneous species, fi eld crops, how to verify their local im-portance)

Invasive species On invasive species in general (their effect on biodiversity, direct and indirect) (fellow biologists, possibly from the In-stitute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation)

Direct and indirect threats to bees from invasive species (pests, parasites, diseases, bees as invasive species, re-duced biodiversity – consequences for the food reliability of bees, the active role of the beekeeper)

Common fi nal topic and workshop:

Beekeeper – an active player in sustainable nature man-agement

15

Training Courses in Beekeeping for Persons with

Physical or Mental DisabilitiesCourse authors: Aleš Bozovičar, head of Nectar Flow Monitoring and Forecasting Service, Marko Borko, head

of education and training, Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, working group for the inclusion of disabled

persons in beekeeping.

Aim: To present the possibilities for beekeeping in wheelchairs, apiculture training for people

in wheelchairs.

Duration: 15 h

Topics:

Theory: Practice:

Setting of space, preparation of beekeeping materials and equipment

Setting of space, preparation of beekeeping materials and equipment

Acquisition of a bee colony Acquisition of a bee colony

Breeding and caring for the bee colony throughout the year

Breeding and caring for the bee colony throughout the year

Harvesting the main apiculture products (honey, beeswax, pollen and propolis)

Harvesting the main apiculture products (hon-ey, beeswax, pollen, and propolis)

Marketing of apiculture products and pro-cessed goods

The course does not cover bee health and the guidelines of good hygiene practice. The lec-

tures take place every year at various locations across Slovenia.

Teaching methods

• Lecture

• Video screening

• Demonstration

• Practical work with bees in an adapted beehouse

16

ApitourismCourse authors: Dominika Koritnik Trepel, Apitourism Section, Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association

Aim: connecting experiential tourism with beekeeping, providing training on how to organise

apitourism destinations and activities.

Duration:40 hours / to be adapted to the module-related demand

The modules within the apitourism-focused course:

Module title Topics

Apitourism in Slovenia Beginnings, standardisation / certifi cation, api-tourist destinations and their operations, api-tourist agencies

Apitourism tourist-guide training

Apitourism for all

Apitourism for people with special needs

Slovenian beekeeping heritage Beehouse, beehive panels as ethnographic heritage, private collections and state museums – what they are offering

Interpretation skills Heritage interpretation is a research-based communication branch on how to use various means and methods to unveil the countless meanings of heritage.

Urban beekeeping Bees’ routes within cities

Apitourism marketing Workshops on apitourism development and marketing based on good practice examples from Slovenia