Bees, Apiculture and Pollination

Last changed: 27 March 2024

The course covers a range of topics on bees from their unique biology, ecology, and behaviors to pollination ecology, to management of honey bees for honey production, and the challenges they face with pests and diseases.

 The course is a 5 week course beginning in early may and consists of lectures with weekly excursions in beekeeping and wild bee identification (catch and release).

Learning outcomes:

  • Describe the fundamentals of beekeeping and the management practices associated with keeping honeybees healthy and productive.
  • Understand the importance of insect mediated pollination and the importance of bees as beneficial insects involved in food production and ecosystem sustainability.
  • Understand the conservation issues concerning wild bees and discuss the different threats facing honeybees compared to wild bees.
  • Interpret and communicate scientific literature on topics relating to bees in both a written essay and through an oral presentation.
  • Describe the ecological importance of social insects and the various social organization across different groups of bee.
  • Understand the genetic relationship between individuals, the sex determination system, and how this affects the evolution of sociality in bees.
  • Master the use of keys for species determination of insects and be able to identify bees to family groups and some to the species level.

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