On the Road to Master Beekeeper

At the Young Harris Beekeeping Institute each year, there's an opportunity to earn various levels of certification in beekeeping. The Institute is sponsored by the University of Georgia's entomology department, so the people who are speaking offer a lot of knowledge and experience. I went to the Institute in 2007 and 2008.

May 2007: Passed Certified Beekeeper in state of Georgia
May 2008: Passed Certified Journeyman Beekeeper in state of Georgia

In 2009, I had to miss Young Harris because one of my dearest friends had a surprise birthday party in Charleston, South Carolina, so I went to SC instead of Young Harris.

This year (2010) I plan to at least try for the Master Beekeeper. Here are the requirements:

• Must have three years of beekeeping experience. DONE

• Must have held Journeyman rank at least one year. DONE

• Must pass a written test (over Institute lectures) and practical documentation. To do in May 2010 hopefully

Note: To do the pass-the-test part, another friend from my bee club and I are going to form our own Master Beekeeper study group to cheer each other on to get to the goal. The books pictured above are what Keith Delaplane recommends for the Master Craftsman Beekeeper in addition to First Lessons in Beekeeping. They are The Biology of the Honey Bee by Mark Winston and The Wisdom of the Hive by TD Seeley.

• Complete 10 units of public service work beyond that required for Journeyman (see public service requirements).
• Here's my public service so far:
1. "Providing a hive of bees to pollinate a public garden" I managed two hives at a public garden (Blue Heron) - well-documented
2. "Officership in local beekeeping association." I'm in my third year of a three year term as a director on the Board of Directors for Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association
3. "Presenting bee-related lecture or workshop to non-beekeeping group (youth or adult)."
4. 3/31/09 Gave a bee talk at an Atlanta preschool
5. 4/6/09 Collected a swarm from a resident's yard in Chamblee, G
6. 5/13/09 Gave a bee talk (and did the waggle dance) at Clairmont Elementary School
7. 6/12/09 Gave a presentation a St. Dunstan's vacation Bible school on bees (and did the waggle dance!)
8. 7/20/09 Was the featured guest on a public blogtalk radio show: Scorpion Equinox, talking about being a beekeeper
9. 10/14/09 Gave a talk at the Peachtree Battle Garden Club on beekeeping and gardening
10. "Public demonstration on beekeeping topic at fair, festival or similar public event." 5/9/09 Ran a demonstration booth at the Eco-Fair at the Blue Heron
11. "Other activities may be admissible, but candidates are advised to contact program officers about specific cases" I've written the two directors about the bee tree rescue below and I already know they approve of my blog as a public service:
12. 8/5/09 Helped a tree cutting company rescue a beehive that they found in a tree so that the hive would not be destroyed. The event was written up in a community news email blast sent to 1596 citizens of the local area
13. Have managed this blog since April 2006 and have posted 624 posts (so far)

• NOTE: whoo - ten PSCs are all I need

• Practical documentation must demonstrate expertise in at least five of the following 18 subspecialties:

• Winning 1st or 2nd place in an authorized competition in extracted honey. DONE
• Winning 1st or 2nd place in an authorized competition in comb or cut-comb honey. DONE
• Winning 1st or 2nd place in an authorized competition in crystallized (spun or creamed) honey.
• Winning 1st or 2nd place in an authorized competition in beeswax. DONE
• Publishing article in beekeeping publication (excluding newsletters).
• Publishing article in a non-beekeeping publication (with at least state-wide distribution).
• Being recognized as a beekeeping authority in your local area by appearing on radio or TV. (Wonder if the Scorpion Equinox blogradio interview counts or the podcast I did for NKYbeekeeper?)
• Documenting training in life-saving treatment of persons suffering from allergic reactions to insect stings.
• Attending at least three regional (multi-state), national or international beekeeping meetings.
• Conducting a program or workshop at a state, regional, national or international meeting or convention. Have been invited to speak at the Southeastern Organic Beekeepers Meeting in Florida in February, 2010
• Demonstrating competence in small-scale queen rearing.
• Completing a course on queen artificial insemination.
• Acquiring private pesticide applicator’s license.
• Documenting legally-licensed honey processing facility.
• Participating in a beekeeping research or extension project at an approved institution.
• Demonstrating theoretic knowledge of Integrated Pest Management, practical competence in its application, and personal commitment to its precepts.
• Acquiring other certified bee-related training as approved by Review Board.
• Serving two or more years as officer of regional, national or international bee organization (need not be consecutive nor in the same organization).

So at this point, it looks like I need to do something else in the eighteen sub-categories just above - like publish an article in a bee magazine, get some more certified bee-related training, or get asked to appear on local radio or TV.....
and
I need to pass the test.