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.

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

1. Identify requirement to requeen a colony

1.1. Vigour of the current queen is assessed.

1.2. Colony is monitored for signs that indicate queen replacement is necessary.

2. Prepare to requeen a colony

2.1. Replacement queens that meet enterprise criteria are obtained from a commercial supplier or from own breeding stock.

2.2. Replacement queens and any escort worker bees are stored in appropriate conditions and monitored until requeening is undertaken.

2.3. Hive is monitored to ensure requeening occurs under optimum conditions.

2.4. Replacement queen is confirmed as being healthy and free from parasites.

3. Introduce replacement queen bee

3.1. Old queen bee is located in the hive and removed.

3.2. 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.

3.3. Hive is left undisturbed for a period of ten days.

4. Monitor progress of a replacement queen bee

4.1. After ten days, the hive is monitored for acceptance of replacement queen bee by colony.

4.2. Replacement queen bee is monitored for evidence of egg laying and adequate levels of hatching.

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 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.

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

Honey bee colony may include:

all commercial types and strains of bees.

Unit sector

Beekeeping

This unit contains employability skills.