The UBKA offers accredited beekeeping training courses to all levels, from absolute beginner to the more advanced.
Preliminary Course
This Preliminary Beekeeping course is aimed at those with an interest in, or who may be thinking about keeping bees, but have not yet attended a course. It covers the basics of beekeeping from setting up an apiary and acquiring bees to health & safety, hive management, swarm control, disease control and honey production. The minimum age for candidates participating in these courses is 16 years old.
Intermediate Course
This Intermediate level Beekeeping course builds on the knowledge gained from the Preliminary course and improves the understanding of both the scientific and practical aspects of beekeeping. It consists of three parts; Scientific, Practical and Apiary Practical, delivered over a period of at least two years and leading to the Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations (FIBKA) Intermediate Certificate of Proficiency in Beekeeping. Click the link below to access more information and an application form.
Who is the Course for?
Holders of the FIBKA Preliminary Beekeeping certificate (or equivalent) who wish to increase their knowledge, understanding and practical skills in beekeeping.
Those applying should be aware that independent study is essential in addition to attending classes and apiary workshops.
Course Overview
This Intermediate level Beekeeping course builds on the knowledge gained from the Preliminary course and improves the understanding of both the scientific and practical aspects of beekeeping.
It consists of three parts; Scientific, Practical and Apiary Practical, delivered over a period of at least two years and leading to the Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations (FIBKA) Intermediate Certificate of Proficiency in Beekeeping.
The Scientific and Practical parts will each consist of 15 “winter” evening classroom sessions, delivered in alternative years. They will be supplemented with apiary workshops and practical training during the two or three seasons needed to complete the Apiary Practical part of the Course.
Course Content – Scientific: The external and internal features of the honeybee, its life cycle, the work done, methods of communication, reproduction, brood and adult bee diseases, pollination, honey and swarming
Practical: Migratory beekeeping, Queen rearing, Management of nuclei, Disease and pest control, Equipment, Preparation of honey and wax for show, Legislation and Starting up in beekeeping
Apiary Practical: Candidates are recommended to refer to the detail of the Apiary Practical syllabus on the FIBKA website and to use every opportunity to attend teaching and training sessions offered by UBKA and Associations in an apiary where techniques such as colony assessment, disease identification and treatment, queen rearing, nucleus production, swarm control, apiary and honeybee management etc. will be covered..
The syllabus is available on http://www.irishbeekeeping.ie/index.php/about-us/education/examinations/intermediate-syllabus
Assessment: There is a three-hour written exam at the end of both the Scientific and Practical years. The Apiary Practical Assessment will be held in the candidate’s own apiary. There is no written exam and the candidate is examined orally and practically by two examiners. An important feature is the examination of three years hive records for each candidate.
The Intermediate Apiary practical can also stand on its own as a step towards the Practical Bee-master Certificate for those not wishing to take all three hour written examinations. For those planning to progress to the Senior Certificate it is a step towards completing the Apiary Practical part of the Senior Certificate.
The Intermediate Certificate will be awarded only when all three examinations have been passed.
The fee for this Scientific part of the Course is £100; which covers the 15 evening sessions and the Examination Fee. There will be no extra charge this year for the Apiary Practical sessions but charges are envisioned in subsequent years.
Senior Course
This Senior level Beekeeping course continues building to a higher level on the knowledge of both the scientific and practical aspects of beekeeping with the student also expected to be up to date with modern research on the honeybee, particularly where this research is dealt with in newer textbooks or in lectures that (s)he has attended.
In addition to the senior Scientific and Practical examinations, a Microscopy examination and a Senior Apiary Practical examination is required in studying for the Federation of Irish Beekeepers’ Associations (FIBKA) Senior Certificate of Proficiency in Beekeeping.
Bee Master Course
Details to follow