Application
This unit of competency describes the skills and knowledge required to remove a honey crop from a hive by removing bees and combs from the hive and removing filled combs from the hive to other boxes for transport to the extracting facility.
This unit applies to beekeepers who take responsibility for their own work and for the quality of the work of others. They use discretion and judgement in the selection, allocation and use of available resources.
No occupational licensing, legislative or certification requirements are known to apply to this unit at the time of publication.
Elements and Performance Criteria
Element | Performance criteria |
Elements describe the essential outcomes. | Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element. |
1. Prepare to remove honey | 1.1 Obtain tools and equipment and confirm they are in good repair and serviceable for use 1.2 Check personal protective equipment (PPE) for serviceability and wear and use correctly 1.3 Identify work health and safety hazards, assess risks and implement control measures 1.4 Identify and meet food safety requirements 1.5 Observe site quarantine or other biosecurity protocols 1.6 Determine ripeness of honey to ensure it is mature enough to be harvested 1.7 Observe any withholding periods for honey bee medications and treatments 1.8 Take into account potential contaminants, impact on the colony and quality and type of honey to be obtained when planning the time and location of the honey removal 1.9 Identify factors affecting the quantity of honey to be removed from hive and take these into consideration when removing honey |
2. Remove honey from the hive | 2.1 Consider a range of suitable methods for removing bees from honey-filled combs and select and implement the best option or combination of options 2.2 Consider a range of suitable methods for removing the honey crop in the frames from the hive and implement the best option or combination of options 2.3 Monitor the quality of the honey during removal process and, if required, modify removal methods to ensure that desired quality standards are achieved and maintained 2.4 Transport honey-filled frames to extracting facility |
Evidence of Performance
The candidate must be assessed on their ability to integrate and apply the performance requirements of this unit in a workplace setting. Performance must be demonstrated consistently over time and in a suitable range of contexts.
The candidate must provide evidence that they can:
wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) correctly
work safely with and around bees
determine the ripeness of honey and filling of comb cells
handle frames and combs filled with honey so that they are not contaminated with dust, dirt or water
select and use the most suitable methods for removing bees and honey-filled frames from hive
use safe manual and/or mechanical handling techniques.
Evidence of Knowledge
The candidate must demonstrate knowledge of:
principles and practices of honey removal
food safety requirements
methods to remove bees from hives
the indicators of ripe honey and adequately filled cells
the withholding periods of medications and/or treatments.
Assessment Conditions
Assessors must satisfy current standards for RTOs.
Foundation Skills
Foundation Skills essential to performance are explicit in the performance criteria of this unit of competency.
Range Statement
Sectors
Beekeeping (BEK)