Expand+FOR20120 Apiculture - bees, pollination and people
Academic Year 2021/2022
This module examines the most important insect pollinators and gives an insight into their taxonomy, biology and ecological role. The focus will be on bumble bees, solitary ...

Hide-FOR20120 Apiculture - bees, pollination and people
Academic Year 2021/2022
This module examines the most important insect pollinators and gives an insight into their taxonomy, biology and ecological role. The focus will be on bumble bees, solitary bees and honey bees. It will provide the student with an understanding of the variation in their biology and provide them with knowledge of specific pollinator species. The module will also identify human activities that affect (improve or impair) survival of pollinating insects. Emphasis is placed on the honey bee because of its importance, both as a honey producer and as a pollinator of cultivated crops. Beekeeping is described in some detail with practical demonstrations of management, and every student will have an opportunity to handle honeybee colonies in an apiary.

Apiary practical sessions will be arranged for groups of 10 at a time (protective clothing provided), depending on student and staff availability. The video project will also be arranged in small groups and will make use of student’s own mobile phone video recorders.
The lectures will be delivered by UCD staff as well as invited speakers, who will cover topics such as pollinator ecology (bumblebees, honey bees and solitary bees), pests and diseases of honeybees and other pollinators. These guest lecturers will come from backgrounds such as the National Biodiversity Data Centre, Crop Policy Production and Safety Division of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Teagasc Bee Disease Diagnostic Service at Oak Park and the Federation of Irish Beekeepers Associations.

Topics covered will include:
- Evolutionary history, biology and taxonomy of pollinating Hymenoptera;
- Evolution of sociality and the super-organism concept;
- Pollination biology and bee botany;
- The organisation of honey bee colonies including sex determination and reproduction;
- Threats to pollinating insects (including chemicals, parasites and diseases);
- The importance of beekeeping and beekeeping practices to human society – past and present;
- Practical apiculture (colony management/manipulation, honey production, colony reproduction, queen rearing);
- Products and ecosystem services of pollinators.

Learning Outcomes:
On completion of this course students will:
- Understand the ecological niche occupied by various insect pollinators as well as the importance of insect mediated pollination to horticulture and agriculture;
- Know the major tree, shrub and vegetative plants for sourcing pollen and nectar in Ireland (and recognise the flower sources of some of the more common honey types);
- Be able to describe the social organisation of honeybee colonies;
- Appreciate the practical work involved in beekeeping and where to locate resources to establish a small apiary;
- Be able to describe the importance (economic and health) of honeybee products to human society.

Indicative Module Content:
See Overarching Content section above.