20250 Demonstrate Knowledge of Endemic and Exotic Bee Diseases, Disorders, Pests, and Conditions

20250 version 2

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Demonstrate knowledge of endemic and exotic bee diseases, disorders, pests, and conditions

Purpose People credited with this unit standard are able to demonstrate knowledge of: significant endemic bee diseases, disorders, and pests, and their control; minor endemic bee diseases, and pests, and their control; minor endemic bee conditions, and their control; and significant exotic bees, bee diseases, and pests, and their control.

This AMAP can be accessed at http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/framework/search/index.do.

Special notes

1 Legislation includes but is not limited to the – Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992, Biosecurity Act 1993, Biosecurity (National American Foulbrood Pest Management Strategy) Order 1998, and their subsequent amendments.

2 The context of this unit standard does not include American foulbrood (AFB) or varroa mite. AFB is covered in Unit 20258, Demonstrate knowledge of American foulbrood (AFB) and its control in the beekeeping industry. Varroa mite is covered in Unit 20257, Demonstrate knowledge of the varroa mite and its control in the beekeeping industry.

3 Industry procedures are those specified in the following references – Goodwin, Mark, Elimination of American Foulbrood Disease Without The Use of Drugs: A Practical Manual for Beekeepers (Otaki, New Zealand: National Beekeepers Association of New Zealand Inc., revised edition 2006) (also referred to as The Beekeeper’s Manual); and Goodwin, Mark and Taylor, Michelle, Control of Varroa – A Guide for New Zealand Beekeepers (Wellington, New Zealand: New Zealand Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, revised edition 2007).

All references are available from the National Beekeepers Association of NZ (Inc) (NBA) website at http://www.nba.org.nz, or email .

4 Definition

In-house procedures – the verbal and written instructions to staff on procedures for preventative methods to control bee conditions, diseases, and pests, which must comply with legislative requirements.

Elements and performance criteria

Element 1

Demonstrate knowledge of significant endemic bee diseases, disorders, and pests, and their control.

Range bee diseases – chalkbrood, sacbrood, Nosema apis;

bee disorders – half moon syndrome;

bee pests – greater and lesser wax moth.

Performance criteria

1.1 Endemic bee diseases, disorders and pests are identified by physical appearance, damage which they cause, and symptoms of their presence in the beehive.

1.2 The life cycles, natural progression, and methods of spread of endemic bee diseases, disorders and pests in the beehive are described in terms of their implications for control.

1.3 Diagnostic techniques for laboratory identification of endemic bee diseases, disorders and pests are described where these exist in terms of the procedures.

1.4 Causes of infection of endemic bee diseases, disorders and pests are described in terms of preventative management.

1.5 Treatment and control techniques are described in terms of those which can be implemented in-house, and those which require professional input.

Element 2

Demonstrate knowledge of minor endemic bee diseases, and pests, and their control.

Range bee diseases – Kashmir bee virus, acute paralysis virus, chronic paralysis virus, black queen cell virus;

bee pests – ants, wasps, mice, feral hives.

Performance criteria

2.1 Bee diseases, and pests, are identified by their physical appearance, damage which they cause, and symptoms of their presence in the beehive.

2.2 Industry control practices are described including preventative measures in accordance with local conditions and in-house procedures.

Element 3

Demonstrate knowledge of minor endemic bee conditions, and their control.

Range dysentery, starvation, chilling, overheating, poisoning, toxic nectar.

Performance criteria

3.1 The presence of bee conditions is identified by the physical appearance of bees and symptoms in the beehive.

3.2 Industry control practices are described including preventative measures in accordance with local conditions and in-house procedures.

Element 4

Demonstrate knowledge of significant exotic bees, bee diseases, disorders, and pests, and their control.

Range exotic bees – Africanised honey bee, Asian honey bees, Cape honey bee;

bee diseases – European foulbrood (EFB), stonebrood, Israeli acute paralysis virus (ACPV), Nosema ceranae;

bee disorders – colony collapse disorder;

bee pests – tracheal mite, Asian mite, small hive beetle, bee louse.

Performance criteria

4.1 Bee diseases, bee pests, bee disorders and exotic bees are identified by physical appearance, damage which they cause, and symptoms of their presence in the beehive.

4.2 The life cycles, and natural progression, of bee diseases, bee pests, bee disorders and exotic bees in a beehive are described in terms of their implications for control.

4.3 Diagnostic techniques for laboratory identification of bee diseases, bee pests, bee disorders and exotic bees are described where these exist in terms of the procedures.

4.4 The spread of bee diseases, bee pests, bee disorders and exotic bees are described in terms of the methods, current distribution, and likely modes of entry into New Zealand.

4.5 Bee diseases, bee pests, bee disorders and exotic bees are described in terms of their impact on New Zealand beekeeping, and the changes to current management that are required.

Please note

Providers must be accredited by NZQA, or an inter-institutional body with delegated authority for quality assurance, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.

Industry Training Organisations must be accredited by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.

Accredited providers and Industry Training Organisations assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.

Accreditation requirements and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Accreditation and Moderation Action Plan (AMAP). The AMAP also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.

Comments on this unit standard

Please contact the Primary Industry Training Organisation if you wish to suggest changes to the content of this unit standard.

Ó New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2013