Students will learn about honey bees and beekeeping, other crucial pollinators, pollination ecology, conservation, and habitat restoration. The practice of beekeeping is stressed during the first two-thirds of the course followed by pollination ecology, other beneficial pollinators, their roles in agriculture, and why we need to conserve them.
Athena Title
Bees and Beekeeping
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will become familiar with and be able to discuss the biology, importance and classification of honey bees and other beneficial insects.
Students will become familiar with and be able to discuss the seasonal life history of honey bees and their social life.
Students will become familiar with and be able to discuss how honey bees communicate and how we manage them.
Students will be able to organize and relate the causes and consequences of why honey bees and other pollinators are in such peril.
Students will be able to explore and relate the world of pollination ecology to its importance for food production outcomes.
Students will synthesize and develop ideas on how to protect and encourage pollinators in the environment.
Students will be able to synthesize topical information and give a group presentation.
Students will be able to analyze scientific literature and translate into a lay article to promote scientific literacy.
Topical Outline
Important Pollinators, Honey Bees and Beekeeping:
1. Class Introduction: The Great Southeastern Pollinator Census: Group Discussion: Campus Walk
2. What are bees and why are they important to humans, agriculture and ecosystems? Bee classification: Superfamily Apoidea
3. Superfamily Apoidea to the genus Apis
4. Bees other than honey bees
5. Pollinators other than bees
6. Honey bee anatomy & sociality
7. Welcome to the hive
8. Reproduction & swarming
9. Queen Production: Nest design
10. Defense & communication
Exam 1
11. Honey Bee Nutrition
12. Dance language: Pollination & the US honey bee industry
13. Diseases of honey bees: American and European foulbrood, microsporidian, & fungi
