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Saturday, May 15, 2010

Master Beekeeper! HOORAY!

To reach the level of Master Beekeeper, you have to fulfill many qualifications. I got the Certified Beekeeper certificate in 2007 and was awarded Journey(wo)man in 2008.

Then all of this year I have been working on meeting the qualifications for Master Beekeeper. I have given talks to non-beekeeping groups, rescued swarms, run booths at eco-fairs, been interviewed on three Internet podcasts, run workshops (3 of them) at a regional meeting, provided hives for community gardens and many other things.

All of the evidence of my public service activities as well as five subspecialties had to be presented in a tabbed notebook which was turned in last Thursday afternoon.  I had pictures to document all of my public service and specialty areas.  I had saved emails and thank you notes, fliers and brochures.  All of it went into this notebook!





Then a lot of us spent Thursday morning sitting in class cramming everything we could into our heads from lectures on current stuff that we might not know....including that an apis mellifera fossil has been discovered in Nevada that is native to North America.   The name of this bee is: apis nearctica.  And that was on the test.

Below you'll see Dr. Keith Delaplane.  He is the head of the entomology department at the University of Georgia and the head of the Master Beekeeper program that brings us all the various certifications.  He's laughing because we are nervously peeking into the room where he is grading our exams.



While ten or so people attended the Master Beekeeper lectures on Thursday morning, actually only three of us sat for the exam.  Here we all nervously are, awaiting the results.  We are all friends and members of the Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association.



The Young Harris Beekeeping Institute, where we took this exam, draws participants from the region: Tennessee, Alabama, North Carolina as well as all over Georgia, so it is rather remarkable that the three of us, Cindy, Jay and I, who sat for the exam were all from Atlanta and all from the Metro club.

In the end, with much relief, we were all awarded the Master Beekeeper certification level.  There are currently ten living Master Beekeepers in the region and we add three to that number.  There is also one Master Craftsman Beekeeper, Bill Owens, who is the only person in the state of Georgia to reach the highest possible level.

Here's the certificate:


 The sweetest part of the event is that my friend Julia and her son, Noah, who were also at the Institute, wrote a song for me celebrating my getting the Master Beekeeper.  They sang it to me, complete with Julia playing the guitar, after breakfast this morning.   I will always remember that about this day.

And, by the way, this is my 700th post on my blog to date!

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19 comments:

  1. Anonymous10:51 PM

    Congratulations Linda T! A most excellent accomplishment!

    w

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  2. Anonymous10:57 PM

    Let me be the first (on the blog) to congratulate you on your accomplishment! You've certainly been a tremendous help to me since I started beekeeping. Thanks for all of your help and congratulations!

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  3. Congratulations!! What a wonderful achievement!

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  4. Congratulations Linda - so well deserved !!

    Hopefully one day we may have something like that here, it must encourage beekeepers to really give 100% to their bees, plus all the other things you have to do - fantastic - well done !

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  5. Congratulations.

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  6. Congrats Master Beekeeper!

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  7. Michael Steinkampf11:47 AM

    Hello Linda,

    Congratulations on your achievement. It was nice meeting you at the course. I hope your knitting project turns out as well as your beekeeping certification efforts.

    Michael Steinkampf
    Birmingham, Alabama

    PS: I passed my own certification exam, too.

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  8. That is so cool Linda, congratulations! I know I have already learned a lot from you.

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  9. Linda,
    Congratulations on your acheivement.
    I've loved reading your blog for the last few months, and as soon as I can, I'll be following in your illustrious footsteps.

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  10. Anonymous4:01 PM

    Congrats, Linda! So proud for you and few work harder than you at this craft. Your blog has been such a blessing and help to me - an newbie beek. Take time to celebrate! Karen A.

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  11. Congratulations on both achievements, both are remarkable!

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  12. Anonymous7:38 AM

    Congratulations! I just received my Certified Beekeeper paper in the mail this month. You're an inspiration to keep going!
    I also really appreciate your blog with such high quality pictures and video. I just watched your crush and strain video before my first-ever harvest last week. It was just what I needed.
    CM

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  13. congrats , i've been reading your blog for 3 years and you have so deserved this !

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  14. Congrats on your achievement. I can personally say that your online presence has helped in my journey knowing these fascinating organisms.

    Thanks for all the insights, you are a real inspiration and a treasure.

    RJ Dyer, PhD
    Biologist and Amateur keeper of Bees

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  15. CONGRATULATIONS Linda! What an accomplishment! Love your blog & I check it frequently for updates, inspiration, & helpful hints to a beginning beekeeper. I can only imagine being a "Master." Should I call you YODA??

    XXOO ~Tam

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  16. Anonymous8:18 PM

    Congratulations, I know it was hard earned. Tom from North Carolina

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  17. Congratulations, and thanks for all the great blog posts.

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  18. Anonymous1:16 AM

    Well done Linda! No idea where you must find the time to maintain this blog as well as studying towards a qualification. Thanks for all the hard work.

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  19. Congratulations, I am in awe!!!

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