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Veterinarians are now required to provide oversight on the use of medically important antimicrobials in honey bees. However most veterinarians in the United States and Canada have not been trained in honey bee veterinary medicine. The CertHbV designation will provide a way to ensure that the veterinarian has the knowledge and skills required to safely and effectively work with honey bee colonies.

Applicants will complete 150 continuing education credits over 7 modules, followed by either submission of a final project or successfully passing an online final examination.  The program must be completed within a 2 year period. The fee for certification is $249 USD.  Once approved, the CertHbV designation will be good for 5 years, after which there is a renewal program with 50 continuing education credits and a fee of $50 USD.
  • Module 1: Husbandry and the beekeeping industry (min 20 credits)
  • Module 2: Anatomy and Physiology (min 10 credits)
  • Module 3: Pathobiology & Epidemiology of Honey Bee Diseases (min 30 credits)
  • Module 4: Diagnostics and Treatment of Honey Bee Diseases (min 30 credits)
  • Module 5: Clinical Veterinary Experience, the VCPR, and Client Communications (min 50 credits, 40 of which are hands-on)
  • Module 6: One Health and Public Health (min 5 credits)
  • Module 7: Legislation, Regulations, and Policies (min 5 credits)
The CertHbV program is open to veterinarians (those that hold a DVM degree or equivalent) that are members of the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium (HBVC).
Certification/Continuing Education Policies
CerHbV
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Certification in Honey Bee Veterinary Medicine

Veterinarians are now required to provide oversight on the use of medically important antimicrobials in honey bees. However most veterinarians in the United States and Canada have not been trained in honey bee veterinary medicine. The CertHbV designation will provide a way to ensure that the veterinarian has the knowledge and skills required to safely and effectively work with honey bee colonies.

Requirements

Applicants will complete 150 continuing education credits over 7 modules, followed by either submission of a final project or successfully passing an online final examination.  The program must be completed within a 2 year period. The fee for certification is $249 USD, divided into $25 payments for each of the 7 modules and a final application fee of $74.  Once approved, the
Mod 1
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Module 1 covers honey  bee husbandry and information about the beekeeping industry,  The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • Hive structure and components
  • Tools/equipment
  • Structure of the Apiary
  • Types of beekeeper
  • Demographics of the industry (location specific)
  • Hive products and how they are harvested
  • Pollination services and migratory beekeeping
  • Nutrition
  • Phenology of beekeeping (location specific)
A minimum of 20 points are required to complete this module.
Mod 2
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Module 2 covers anatomy and physiology of honey bees.  The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • Honey bee life cycle
  • Individual honey bee anatomy and physiology
  • Superorganism and the colony life cycle
  • Reproduction (individual and colony level)
A minimum of 10 points are required to complete this module.
Mod 3
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Module 3 covers pathobiology and epidemiology of the honey bee diseases.  The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • Disease transmission
  • Bacterial, parasitic, viral, fungal, microsporidian diseases
  • Pests
  • Toxicology (e.g., pesticides)
  • Non-infectious conditions (starvation, queen events)
  • Pathogenesis of disease at the individual and colony level
  • Multifactorial causes of colony death
  • Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD)
  • Current status of annual and winter colony losses
  • National and state/provincial honey bee epidemiological programs
A minimum of 30 points are required to complete this module.
Mod 4
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Module 4 covers diagnostics and treatment plans for the honey bee diseases.  The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • Field tests
  • Laboratory tests
  • Sample collection and submission
  • Antibiotics and VFD (when to issue a VFD and for which antibiotic); prescriptions
  • Antibiotic use in Queen rearing
  • Integrated pest management (IPM)
  • Acaricides
  • Other registered treatments
  • Supplemental nutrition (sugar syrup, pollen patties, other supplements)
  • Euthanasia
A minimum of 30 points are required to complete this module.
Mod 5
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Module 5 covers the clinical veterinary experience, the Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR), and client communication.  There is a minimum of 50 points required, 40 of which must be hands-on.  The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • Clinical examinations/hive inspections
  • PPE
  • Animal handling
  • Establishing a VCPR (location specific)
  • Medical record keeping
  • Telemedicine (when it is allowed, how it can be incorporated)
  • Biosecurity protocols for veterinarians working with honey bee patients
A minimum of 50 points are required to complete this module.  Note: for hands-on points, a maximum of 10 points can be obtained from working on your own.  A minimum of 30 points must come from working with a minimum of 3 different beekeepers.  We highly recommend working with at least one hobbyist beekeeper and one commercial beekeeper.
Mod 6
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Module 6 covers One Health and Public Health.  The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • Food security
  • Antimicrobial stewardship
  • Residue avoidance
  • Environmental impacts of beekeeping (including impacts on native pollinators)
  • Biosecurity in apiculture
  • Climate Change and the impacts on apiculture
A minimum of 5 points are required to complete this module.
Mod 7
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Module 7 covers Legislation, Regulations, and Policies. The following is a list of topics that we recommend covering:
  • State/Provincial Apiary Programs
  • VFD (legal requirements of a VFD for honey bees)
  • State specific regulations: AFB management/control, other notifiable/reportable conditions (eg. Foreign pests)
  • Pollinator advocacy (Discuss entities and initiatives dedicated to the promotion and protection of pollinators)
A minimum of 5 points are required to complete this module.