ARTH001-0124: Honey Bees - BiologyCourse Open: January 5-February 7, 2024
Real Time Sessions (RTS): Sundays, January 14, 21, and 28, 2024; 2:00-3:30 pm ET (USA) World Clock Converter
Total CE Credit: 4.5
RACE Category: 4.5 hours Medical
| Enrollment is closed. |
Tuition: Member $104 ($94 early bird special if enrolled by December 22, 2023) |
*Enroll in 2 or more Honey Bee courses on the same day and receive a 15% discount from the standard price.
- ARTH002-0124: Honey Bees – Beekeeping 101
- ARTH003-0224: Honey Bees – Colony Management
- ARTH004-0324: Honey Bees – Diseases
- ARTH005-0424: Honey Bees – Practicing Honey Bee Medicine
Course Information:
Honey bees are amazing, beautiful creatures with wonderful adaptations that allow them to be resilient in a variety of environmental conditions. In this course we will dive into the basic biology of honey bees. We will look at the individual anatomy of the worker bee, the special characteristics of queens and drones, and determine what makes a healthy honey bee colony over all seasons.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of the course, the participant should be able to
- identify key members and castes of a honey bee colony.
- describe the lifecycle of a honey bee colony in different climates.
- list the characteristics of a social insect.
- identify basic external honey bee anatomy.
- describe the functions of key honey bee glands.
- outline key stages in honey bee development.
- compare honey bee perception to humans and other animals.
- match internal honey bee structures to function.
- describe the queen honey bee anatomy.
- explain the life-cycle of the queen.
- identify the major functions of the honey bee queen.
- define the differences between the honey bee queen and the female workers.
- describe basics of honey bee breeding.
Level and Prerequisites: This basic VIN CE course is open for enrollment to veterinarians and veterinary support personnel interested in beekeeping, working with beekeeping clients, and/or honey bee medicine.
Credit Approval: This course is approved for 4.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE for veterinarians and veterinary technicians/technologists. (RACE 20-1109996)
Course Agenda: Week 1 (Real Time Session January 14, 2024): Colony Biology
In this session we will focus on the honey bee colony. Participants will be introduced to basic colony biology and the lifecycle of the super organism throughout the year, and how it responds to different climatic conditions. We will discuss the different members of the honey bee colony as well as their roles and tasks, and outline what conditions result in optimum colony health.
Week 2 (Real Time Session January 21, 2024): Anatomy
In this session we will get to know the Western Honey Bee, Apis mellifera. We will focus on anatomy and physiological adaptations that are relevant to the care of these insects. Participants will view microscopic images that will allow them to really see this creature up close and understand how they are both similar to and different from other animals.
Week 3 (Real Time Session January 28, 2024): Mating Biology
In this session we will discuss queen and drone biology and their specialized development and anatomy. We will cover the lifecycle of the queen, mating biology, egg laying and queen health. Participants will be introduced to insect genetics and breeding/selection.
Successful completion (scoring 80% or better) on the end-of-course test is required to earn a certificate of completion for the course. To learn more about the requirements for earning a CE certificate, please refer to Receiving Your CE Credit and Course Completion Certificate. Course Materials: Course materials will be available in the course library prior to each Real Time Session.
Required Textbook(s): There is no required textbook for this course.
| Enrollment is closed. |
Tuition: Member $104 ($94 early bird special if enrolled by December 22, 2023) |
*Enroll in 2 or more Honey Bee courses on the same day and receive a 15% discount from the standard price.
- ARTH002-0124: Honey Bees – Beekeeping 101
- ARTH003-0224: Honey Bees – Colony Management
- ARTH004-0324: Honey Bees – Diseases
- ARTH005-0424: Honey Bees – Practicing Honey Bee Medicine
*To ensure participants are ready and prepared for classes, enrollment will close on January 12, 2024 at 5 pm ET (USA) or when the maximum number of participants is reached. *For more information on how online CE works, see the Participant Resource Center.
Enrollment qualifications:
- VIN CE Courses:
- VIN CE courses are open to VIN member, VIN student member, and non-member veterinarians.
- Veterinary support staff must be VSPN members in order to enroll in a VIN CE course open to VSPN member enrollment.
- VSPN CE Courses:
- VSPN CE courses are open to veterinary support staff and veterinarians.
- Only VIN and VSPN members can enroll in a VSPN CE course.
- Veterinarians will only receive credit for those VSPN CE courses that specify in the Accreditation statement that the course is accredited for veterinarians.
- Please check the course Level and Prerequisites, Accreditation, and Tuition before enrolling.
- Each enrollee must be able to receive emails from @vspn.org
and @vin.com addresses.
- Email is our major form of communication with participants; personal emails are highly recommended rather than clinic/hospital email addresses.
- For further assistance call 800-846-0028 ext. 797 or email CEonVIN@vin.com. Please include the course title, your full name, and contact information in your correspondence.
Course withdrawal and refund policy: A complete refund of the paid course price will be issued when your withdrawal request is received prior to the listed start date of the course. If you wish to withdraw after the start date please contact the VIN office 800-846-0028 ext. 797 to discuss eligibility for a pro-rated refund. *For more information on VIN's upcoming CE courses, check the VIN Course Catalog. Katherine James, DVM, PhD, DACVIM (SAIM)
VIN Education Director VIN CE Services: CEonVIN@vin.com
800-846-0028 or 530-756-4881; ext. 797
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from the United Kingdom: 01 45 222 6154
or direct line to VIN/VSPN from Australia: 02 6145 2357