Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners

AHCBEK303A Mapping and Delivery Guide
Re-queen a honey bee colony

Version 1.0
Issue Date: April 2024


Qualification -
Unit of Competency AHCBEK303A - Re-queen a honey bee colony
Description This unit covers the process of requeening a honey bee colony with a replacement queen, and defines the standard required to: identify need to requeen, breed and select for replacement queen bee and place in hive; monitor activity of new queen bee and threat of competition.
Employability Skills This unit contains employability skills.
Learning Outcomes and Application This unit applies to beekeepers that are likely to be working supervised. Well-reared and mated, young healthy queen bees of good genetic stock are a major factor in improving honey yields. Requeening is typically practised annually to obtain benefits from the increased egg-laying ability and high pheromone production associated with young queen bees. Requeening by commercial honey producers is normally carried out in spring/summer through to autumn to fit in with seasonal conditions and management practices.
Duration and Setting X weeks, nominally xx hours, delivered in a classroom/online/blended learning setting.
Prerequisites/co-requisites
Competency Field
Development and validation strategy and guide for assessors and learners Student Learning Resources Handouts
Activities 		Slides
PPT 		Assessment 1 Assessment 2 Assessment 3 Assessment 4
Elements of Competency Performance Criteria              
Element: Identify requirement to requeen a colony
  • Vigour of the current queen is assessed.
  • Colony is monitored for signs that indicate queen replacement is necessary.
       
Element: Prepare to requeen a colony
  • Replacement queens that meet enterprise criteria are obtained from a commercial supplier or from own breeding stock.
  • Replacement queens and any escort worker bees are stored in appropriate conditions and monitored until requeening is undertaken.
  • Hive is monitored to ensure requeening occurs under optimum conditions.
  • Replacement queen is confirmed as being healthy and free from parasites.
       
Element: Introduce replacement queen bee
  • Old queen bee is located in the hive and removed.
  • Where queen bee has been raised in a nucleus colony, either nucleus colony is placed on top of colony to be requeened, and the two colonies separated by a single layer of paper, or queen bee is caught and introduced into another colony.
  • Hive is left undisturbed for a period of ten days.
       
Element: Monitor progress of a replacement queen bee
  • After ten days, the hive is monitored for acceptance of replacement queen bee by colony.
  • Replacement queen bee is monitored for evidence of egg laying and adequate levels of hatching.
       


Evidence Required

List the assessment methods to be used and the context and resources required for assessment. Copy and paste the relevant sections from the evidence guide below and then re-write these in plain English.

The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

The evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit must be relevant to workplace operations and satisfy holistically all of the requirements of the performance criteria and required skills and knowledge and include achievement of the following:

identify need to requeen

breed and select for replacement queen bee and place in hive

monitor activity of new queen bee and threat of competition.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Competency requires the application of work practices under work conditions. Selection and use of resources for some worksites may differ due to the regional or enterprise circumstances.

Submission Requirements

List each assessment task's title, type (eg project, observation/demonstration, essay, assignment, checklist) and due date here

Assessment task 1: [title]      Due date:

(add new lines for each of the assessment tasks)

Assessment Tasks

Copy and paste from the following data to produce each assessment task. Write these in plain English and spell out how, when and where the task is to be carried out, under what conditions, and what resources are needed. Include guidelines about how well the candidate has to perform a task for it to be judged satisfactory.

Required skills

identifying hazards and implementing safe work practices

assessing suitability of conditions for requeening

breeding and selecting replacement queen bees

identifying disease status of parent colonies

installing replacement queen bee

monitoring queen bee activity

use literacy skills to read, interpret and follow organisational policies and procedures, follow sequenced written instructions, record accurately and legible information collected and select and apply procedures for a range of tasks

use oral communication skills/language competence to fulfil the job role as specified by the organisation, including questioning techniques, active listening, clarifying information and consulting with supervisors as required

use numeracy skills to estimate, calculate and record routine workplace measures

use interpersonal skills to work with and relate to people from a range of cultural, social and religious backgrounds and with a range of physical and mental abilities.

Required knowledge

conditions for requeening

factors other than queen vigour that may affect brood production

factors to consider when identifying and removing old queen and introducing new queen

queen bee behaviour and brood pattern

selection criteria for new queen bee

storage requirements of queen bees before being introduced into the colony.

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole.

Honey bee colony may include:

all commercial types and strains of bees.

Copy and paste from the following performance criteria to create an observation checklist for each task. When you have finished writing your assessment tool every one of these must have been addressed, preferably several times in a variety of contexts. To ensure this occurs download the assessment matrix for the unit; enter each assessment task as a column header and place check marks against each performance criteria that task addresses.

Observation Checklist

Tasks to be observed according to workplace/college/TAFE policy and procedures, relevant legislation and Codes of Practice Yes No Comments/feedback
Vigour of the current queen is assessed. 
Colony is monitored for signs that indicate queen replacement is necessary. 
Replacement queens that meet enterprise criteria are obtained from a commercial supplier or from own breeding stock. 
Replacement queens and any escort worker bees are stored in appropriate conditions and monitored until requeening is undertaken. 
Hive is monitored to ensure requeening occurs under optimum conditions. 
Replacement queen is confirmed as being healthy and free from parasites. 
Old queen bee is located in the hive and removed. 
Where queen bee has been raised in a nucleus colony, either nucleus colony is placed on top of colony to be requeened, and the two colonies separated by a single layer of paper, or queen bee is caught and introduced into another colony. 
Hive is left undisturbed for a period of ten days. 
After ten days, the hive is monitored for acceptance of replacement queen bee by colony. 
Replacement queen bee is monitored for evidence of egg laying and adequate levels of hatching. 

Forms

Assessment Cover Sheet

AHCBEK303A - Re-queen a honey bee colony
Assessment task 1: [title]

Student name:

Student ID:

I declare that the assessment tasks submitted for this unit are my own work.

Student signature:

Result: Competent Not yet competent

Feedback to student

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Assessment Record Sheet

AHCBEK303A - Re-queen a honey bee colony

Student name:

Student ID:

Assessment task 1: [title] Result: Competent Not yet competent

(add lines for each task)

Feedback to student:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overall assessment result: Competent Not yet competent

Assessor name:

Signature:

Date:

Student signature:

Date: