Learning Objectives
- Record evidence for all four pillars.
- Use the current five-area scorecard without guessing unknowns.
- Compare like-for-like seasonal records, not old 18-point totals.
- Protect genetic diversity, biosecurity and forage capacity.
Field infographic
HiveVerity 5-Point Scorecard
Five areas, 1–5 each. Unknowns stay unscored.
1–5
Stores (honey/pollen)
Food quantity and position for the season.
1–5
Brood Pattern
Assess only when safe and justified.
1–5
Bee Density
Population relative to space and season.
1–5
Temperament
Weather, protection and handling context.
1–5
Hygiene & Health
Health and monitoring evidence, not assumptions.
Maximum 25 only when complete. Any 1 or urgent sign overrides the total. Historical 18-point records remain separate.
Diagram
Worker anatomy — functional detail
Structures you cite when diagnosing behaviour, nutrition and pheromone state.
Marker 1
Antenna
≈170 plate organs per flagellum; CO₂, humidity and pheromone sensing.
Fat-body condition and vitellogenin titre — not calendar date — determine whether an adult is a summer bee or a winter bee.
Read these first
This chapter assumes the ground covered below. If any of it is unfamiliar, take the detour — the sequence exists so nothing here has to be taken on faith.
Reading mode
Selection begins with repeated records, not a favourite queen. A colony that survives one winter has survived that winter; it has not proved genetic mite resistance. Weather, starting strength, forage, queen age and management all matter. Keep them beside the measurements.
Four connected outcomes
- Happy — Calm colonies. Natural behaviours. Less disturbance, purposeful care.
- Healthy — Pollen nourishes growing bees. Sound brood and health checked with care.
- Heavy — Keep winter honey and brood-side pollen. Share only honey the bees can spare.
- Harmony — Follow local blooms, pollen and weather. Grow within the land’s limits.
Student chapter
The rest of this chapter is behind the hive gate.
You are reading the open preview of "Local Survivor Selection with 4H & HiveVerity". The full chapter — about 4 minutes of it, the beginner and advanced sidebars, the printable field cards and the paired Guelph video work all sit behind a Hive Key.
What a Hive Key opens
- Every chapter in full, both reading tracks
- Printable field cards — mite thresholds, feed schedule, queenright
- The Guelph HBRC video library, paired chapter by chapter
- The Princeton season dashboard, twice a month
How to get one
Ask Mark about access to the full lessons. Hands-on workshops are a separate offer: $25 per session for youth and students, $35 for adults. No Hive Key is needed to sign up for a workshop.
Workshop prices & signup →Track your way through the curriculum
Students with a Hive Key get completion ticks, percent-through-track and a resume button across every chapter.
Open the student desk →From Section VI–VII — Closed-Loop Queen Rearing & Genetics