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Beekeeper's Associat​ion

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Beginning Beekeeper Class 2018 - Day One PowerPoint Slides

Biology of the Honey Bee

Beekeeping Equipment

Honey Bee Behavior

Beginning Beekeeper Class 2018 - Day Two PowerPoint Slides

Honey Bee Pests

Honey Bee Diseases

Products of the Hive

Package Installation

SOUTH CAROLINA MASTER BEEKEEPER PROGRAM

Study Guidelines SC Beekeeper Program Certified Level

At the certified level the individual should be familiar with the basic skills and knowledge necessary for the beginning hobby beekeeper. The individual must pass a written and practical test.

Reference

 First Lessons in Beekeeping, Delaplane

Honey Bee Diseases and Pest

 American Foulbrood

 European Foulbrood

 Chalk Brood

 Sacbrood

 Varroa Mites

 Tracheal Mites

 Nosema

 Symptoms, causative agent, treatments

 Small Hive Beetle

 Wax Moths

 Africanized Honey Bee

Beeswax

 Processing

 How bees produce

 Uses

Honey & How produced

 Nectar and Pollen sources

 Conversion into honey-sugars

 Percent moisture

Processing

 Granulation/Re-liquefied

Bottling

 Selling

 Conversion from nectar to honey

 Uses

 Types in S.C.

Bees/Races and Subspecies

 Origins

 Traits

Reproduction

 Mating

 Swarming

 Dances

Basic anatomy; Queen/worker/drone

 Parts

 Breathing

 Organs

 Glands

Swarming

Seasonal hive transformation/evolution and management

Africanized bees

Pesticides

 Applications

 Toxicity

 Poisoning signs & symptoms

Bee Equipment

 Parts and uses of a beehive

 Traits of a good bee yard

Products of the hive

 Honey

 Beeswax

 Propolis

 Venom

 Wax moth larvae

 Package Bee and Queens

Key people in beekeeping; past and present

 L.L. Langstroth, Harry Laidlaw, Moses Quinby, Amos I. Root, Stephen Taber III

Hive Manipulation & Honey Bee Management

 Spring

 Summer

 Fall

 Winter

Certified Practical Exam for Beginning Beekeepers

Certified Beekeeper Practical Exam

If you have passed your Certified Beekeeper written exam and have kept bees or worked with a beekeeper for at least one year, you are eligible to take your practical exam. Typically this portion of the Certified testing is performed in the spring when all components of the typical working colony are present for identification. Make arrangements for your practical exam with a Journeyman, Master or Master Craftsman beekeeper.

See our Certified Exam study guide and Practical Exam guidelines below. 

SCMP Certified Practical Exam

Process and Procedures

The exam should be administered during the months of April, May and June. This requirement should allow the student to have warm enough temperatures to be able to go into the brood nest and identify all stages of brood and types of bees.

The examiner will have a complete hive set up with all pieces of equipment listed on the form, ready for the student to identify. For this portion, bees are not mandatory to be in this hive. Then the student can move to a colony with bees to finish the examination.

Three (3) or more line items with a NO, constitutes a NO PASS of this exam.

Completed signed form should be sent to the South Carolina Master Beekeeper Program.

Items to be included in Practical Testing: Form may be downloaded from the South Carolina Beekeepers Assocation's web site at: www.scstatebeekeepers.org

Identify parts of the beehive

Locate and Identify