19 Tex. Admin. Code § 127.61 - [Effective 8/1/2025] Beekeeping and Honey Processing (One Credit), Adopted 2025
(a) Implementation.
(1) The provisions of this section shall be
implemented by school districts beginning with the 2025-2026 school
year.
(2) School districts shall
implement the employability skills student expectations listed in §
127.15(d)(1) of
this chapter (relating to Career and Technical Education Employability Skills,
Adopted 2025) as an integral part of this course.
(b) General requirements. This course is
recommended for students in Grades 10-12. Recommended prerequisites: Principles
of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources. Students shall be awarded one
credit for successful completion of this course.
(c) Introduction.
(1) Career and technical education
instruction provides content aligned with challenging academic standards and
relevant technical knowledge and skills for students to further their education
and succeed in current or emerging professions.
(2) The Agriculture, Food, and Natural
Resources career cluster focuses on the essential elements of life, food,
water, land, and air. This career cluster includes occupations ranging from
farmer, rancher, and veterinarian to geologist, land conservationist, and
florist.
(3) Beekeeping and Honey
Processing is a course designed to provide students with the academic and
technical knowledge and skills that are required to pursue a career related to
beekeeping, apiary operations, honey harvesting, and related industries.
Beekeeping and honey processing is a vital part of the United States
agricultural economy. To prepare for success in Beekeeping and Honey
Processing, students need opportunities to learn, reinforce, experience, apply,
and transfer their knowledge and skills in a variety of settings.
(4) Students are encouraged to participate in
extended learning experiences such as career and technical student
organizations and other organizations that foster leadership and career
development in the profession such as student chapters of related professional
associations.
(5) Statements that
contain "including" reference content that must be mastered, while those
containing the phrase "such as" are intended as possible illustrative
examples.
(d) Knowledge
and skills.
(1) The student develops a
supervised agriculture experience program. The student is expected to:
(A) plan, propose, conduct, document, and
evaluate a supervised agriculture experience as an experiential learning
activity;
(B) use appropriate
record-keeping skills in a supervised agricultural experience;
(C) participate in youth agricultural
leadership opportunities;
(D)
review and participate in a local program of activities; and
(E) create or update documentation of
relevant agricultural experience such as community service, professional, or
classroom experiences.
(2) The student explores the biology of bee
behavior. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify different types and life spans of bees;
(B) explain the different roles assumed by
the different types of honeybees, including the queen, drones, and workers;
and
(C) describe honeybee
development, castes, behavior, division of labor, and the bee life cycle,
including larval, pupal, and adult stages.
(3) The student analyzes beehive design and
development. The student is expected to:
(A)
identify the site characteristics required for successful beehive
production;
(B) analyze factors
such as climatic characteristics and food sources to determine the suitability
of a beehive site for honey harvesting and pollination;
(C) research and compare the conditions of
successful beehives in other parts of the world with similar local conditions;
and
(D) develop a beehive design
and installation plan, including consideration of sunlight, access to water,
wind, topography, human and animal habitation, and good neighbor
policy.
(4) The student
evaluates technology and best practices for weatherizing a beehive. The student
is expected to:
(A) explain the environmental
conditions that lead to bee colonies adapting to extremes in climate
conditions;
(B) compare seasonal
strategies for proper beehive management and describe why best management
practices change based on the seasons, including spring, summer, autumn, and
winter; and
(C) explain practices
for winterizing hives.
(5) The student demonstrates beehive
management techniques. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the tools of an apiarist and
demonstrate safe and proper usage of tools;
(B) demonstrate inspection of a beehive and
describe necessary equipment, including a bee suit, a smoker, and a comb
replacement;
(C) explain beehive
training techniques, including diagnosing the brood pattern, adding brood comb
to the nest, switching colonies, feeding bees, providing water, removing old
combs, extracting honey, and caging queens;
(D) identify safety precautions in the field
while handling live bees, caring for the colonies in the hives, and extracting
honey and honeycomb;
(E) explain
the proper methods of bee handling to prevent harm to handlers and others;
and
(F) describe personal
protective equipment used to reduce the risk of accidents.
(6) The student develops an integrated pest
management plan for beehives. The student is expected to:
(A) identify the major insect pests and
diseases of honeybees;
(B) compare
the components of honeybee integrated pest management; and
(C) describe the safe usage of pesticides in
honeybee hives.
(7) The
student examines honey harvesting and the use of proper equipment and tools.
The student is expected to:
(A) describe the
tools and equipment used in honey production, including a bee brush, fume
board, honey drip tray, nectar detector, escape board, and extractor;
(B) explain the safe use of honey harvesting
tools;
(C) explain the use of
technology in modern honey production systems; and
(D) explain the appropriate procedures used
to extract honey.
(8)
The student identifies procedures and regulations for sanitation and safety in
the food industry. The student is expected to:
(A) identify food industry inspection
standards, including hazard analysis and critical control points;
(B) identify the appropriate chemicals used
in the food industry, specifically in honey processing;
(C) identify safety and governmental
regulations involved in the processing and labeling of foods, including
honey;
(D) explain the procedures
relating to the safe manufacture of foods through hygienic food handling and
processing;
(E) develop and
maintain sanitation schedules; and
(F) identify food safety laws that impact the
bee industry.
(9) The
student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of beekeeping, bee hauling, and
honey processing businesses, including production, processing, marketing,
sales, and distribution. The student is expected to:
(A) describe the roles of an entrepreneur in
beekeeping, bee hauling, and honey processing operations;
(B) differentiate between small, medium, and
large-sized bee and honey businesses;
(C) create a list of tools and equipment
needed to start a beekeeping operation and develop a budget to start a
beekeeping business; and
(D)
develop a business model for beekeeping, honey production, and honey
processing.
(10) The
student completes the process for development, implementation, and evaluation
of a marketing plan and a financial forecast for beekeeping. The student is
expected to:
(A) identify and explain the
target market for honey-related products;
(B) create and conduct a customer
survey;
(C) analyze the customer
survey results;
(D) identify
modification recommendations based on customer survey results;
(E) complete a detailed honey-related
products market analysis;
(F)
analyze and explain different types of marketing strategies;
(G) describe a social media marketing
campaign for honey-processed products; and
(H) develop and explain a projected income
statement, cash budget, balance sheet, and projected sources and uses of funds
statement.
(11) The
student explains the scope and nature of distribution of honey-related
products. The student is expected to:
(A)
explain effective distribution activities, including transportation, storage,
product handling, and inventory control;
(B) explain how distribution can add value to
goods and services, which can be protected by intellectual property;
and
(C) analyze distribution costs
for honey-related products.
Notes
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