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Eastern Apicultural Society > Programs > Master Beekeepers > Master Beekeepers Certification Program > Master Beekeepers Exam Study Guides

Master Beekeepers Exam Study Guides

Below are study guides for the four different areas required for certification. Each area will be tested to see that candidates have the required knowledge and skills needed to demonstrate acumen in beekeeping. These are only guides. Each individual has their own unique way of learning. We recommend that you see the resource guide for more information and if possible team up with another beekeeper if you find that is a help.

Each of these samples are tests from previous years which include both the questions as well as the correct answers for various different areas required for certification.

Requirements

The written exam will be composed of a variety of questions, i.e. true-false, multiple-choice, fill in the blank, short essays, etc. The questions total 100 points and a passing grade is 85. You will have up to 4 hours to take the exam.

Applicants will be expected to show a reasonable command of the English language. Clear, direct, precise, full-sentence answers are best where appropriate. Handwriting should be readable. Spelling mistakes will not be downgraded but the intended word/meaning should be clear.

The written exam is developed and graded by the Master Beekeeper Advisor with the assistance of Master Beekeeper volunteers.

Some questions, similar to those that might be used, are listed below: 

1.Drone honey bees are normally present in colonies throughout the year. (True or False)
2.Colonies with young queens are least apt to swarm. (True or False)
3.Hairless black syndrome is caused by a: A)·Virus B)·Bacterium C)·Protozoan D)·Fungus E)·Mite
4.What are the primary functions of bees located in the center and on the outer surface of the winter cluster? (2 points)
5.What two factors determine “division of labor” within the honey bee colony? (2 points)
6.What is the primary function of fat bodies in the honey bee? (1 point)
7.What is the best way to remove wax bloom from a candle? (1 point)
8.Describe the Demaree Technique and explain what it is used for. (5 points)

Answers:

1.False, if interpreted as normal. True, there are often a few. Sometimes a comment is justified on T/F tests.
2.True.
3.A) Virus
4.Bees on the winter cluster surface serve as insulators to conserve heat. Bees in the center of the winter cluster generate heat and care for brood if it is present.
5.The “division of labor” within the honey bee colony is determined by the age of the worker bee (gland development) and needs of the colony.
6.Fat bodies function as production and storage sites for reserve food material, chiefly fats, glycogen and protein compounds.
7.Wax bloom can be removed from a candle by wiping the candle with a cloth or warming the candle with a hair dryer.
8.The “Demaree Method” of swarm control separates the queen from the brood. Examine all frames of brood in the colony and destroy all queen cells. Place the queen in the lower brood chamber and all frames of uncapped brood in the upper brood chamber. Capped brood may remain in either the upper or lower brood chamber. Place one or two hive bodies full of empty combs between the original two brood chambers. Place a queen excluder on top of the bottom brood chamber before adding middle supers. In 7 to 10 days destroy any queen cells that have developed in the upper hive bodies.

How to Prepare for the Written Test

Successful completion of the written test demonstrates the equivalent of college-level competence in beekeeping. The test includes both bee biology and beekeeping management, as well as questions about contemporary issues in apiculture. To prepare, you should get a recent comprehensive book on bee biology and another on general beekeeping (see four basic reference suggestions under Resources) and spend 3–6 months studying the material. Checking additional resources to broaden your knowledge of specific topics will be useful as well as going to meetings, reading bee journals, consulting web sources of higher quality and discussing beekeeping with other, experienced, individuals.

Take an Intermediate beekeeping course. It would be a great starting point for more in-depth learning. Most candidates find attending state/regional and/or national bee meetings very helpful as a springboard to fill in blank spots in their knowledge and to remain current about important issues facing beekeepers today. Additionally, using copies of recent exams as practice tests may prove helpful both as a study tool and to become familiar with the types of questions asked.

Some individuals prefer to study alone but an excellent way to gain exposure to information you are not as familiar with would be to find a study partner or study group. Individuals preparing to take the exam have found this throwing out of questions/information in a give-and-take session of several hours or over several sessions has been helpful. You might look for a current EAS Master Beekeeper as a study mentor. Of course, you can cram your studying into a day, week or longer period just prior to the exam but most individuals find that they will retain and understand more if the preparation is done over a period spanning at least several months.

Requirements

In the laboratory examination, applicants will move from station to station where a variety of items, specimens and equipment associated with beekeeping will be displayed. Questions might include identification, context of use, relevant information about what is displayed (control for a disease, for example), and other pertinent information about the item. For example you might be asked what time of year a particular item would be used. Some stations may have only a photo or computer image. There is a four-hour time limit to take the laboratory exam. Passing grade is 85.

The major coverage areas will be:

  • Bee diseases: A Master Beekeeper should be able to identify bee diseases as well as a qualified apiary inspector. It is expected he/she will be able to make a field and/or lab identification of the following: American foulbrood, European foulbrood, sacbrood, nosema, chalkbrood, and chilled brood. A master beekeeper is also expected to correctly identify mixed syndromes such as Bee PMS and CCD and vectors of diseases (varroa mites for example.) Expect several questions on diseases or hive mimics of disease conditions (dysentery for example). Candidates should be familiar with various disease and pest control products and management techniques, even if the products are not used in the candidate’s own operation.
  • Bee pests, parasites, and predators: It is expected that a Master Beekeeper can identify damage by wax moths, small hive beetle, mice and other mammals, bears, pollen mites, minor hive pests, etc., plus have the ability to distinguish the problems caused by pests from those caused by disease/pesticides. Also Master Beekeepers should know reasonable and/or effective controls where applicable for the more serious diseases and pests.
  • Honey and Bee Products: An applicant should know the basics of when and how products are obtained by the bees and when and how and what beekeepers use to harvest them. Standards used in judging of honey and bee products and how beekeepers may negatively affect quality may be included. Understand basics of ripening, storage and harvesting of honey and bee products.
  • Recognition of beekeeping equipment: A great variety of gadgets, implements and hive furniture have been developed. Some of these are valuable implements and useful in specific instances but some are not. It is not expected that a Master Beekeeper would be familiar with all the possible equipment and tools but they should know the major items, what purpose they may serve or facilitate and any special virtues/issues they might have. Approximate costs should be known for the basic hive and accessories.
  • Queen rearing: Applicants should be able to indicate the proper age larva for grafting and to recognize the basic procedure used by bees and beekeepers to produce new queen(s). Additionally, they should be familiar with the various tools beekeepers use in queen rearing.
  • Plants for bees: Identification of minor local honey plants will not be required. However, applicants should be familiar with the major plants bees pollinate as well as major plants useful to yield surplus honey.

How to Prepapre for the Lab Exam 

Candidates should be familiar with diseases, pests, unhealthy bees, and unhealthy colony conditions and know about emerging disease/pest issues. You might shadow a bee inspector, if one is available in your area, or a commercial beekeeper for a day to see diseases and unhealthy conditions or arrange for some special tutoring in their office/lab. Examples of disease on the test may be ‘fresh’ (taken from a colony within the last couple of days) or may be removed from a freezer. You should know characteristics of both. In five years (minimum of experience required of a candidate for EAS Master Beekeeper), you will likely not see all the diseases bees may contract so you have to be sure you do see and experience them.

Another major test emphasis is on bee equipment. You should review carefully one or more of the free bee supply catalogues to get an idea of what is available, specialty equipment uses and how much items cost in a general sense (It may have been awhile since you have purchased equipment of your own.) Cruise the vendors at a major meeting and ask questions about equipment. Building your own equipment is a great way to gain understanding of equipment. Questions are not merely on identification but might also include use (where, when, how and why). Do not neglect the specialty items that some beekeepers like to use and the ‘newest,’ most practical gadgets being used by some (feeder/winter moisture reducer rims, feeders, shims and spacers, top bar & Warré hives, queen rearing implements, propolis collectors, etc).

The honey bee is but one social insect. Master Beekeepers must know and be able to differentiate/recognize other bees, wasps, and insect look-alikes sometimes confused for a bee (such as flower fly) or sometimes found in a beehive. Know the basics of honey bees’ and related insects’ nests and diseases. Be able to identify the distinguishing characteristics of other honey bees and how to differentiate them from Apis mellifera. Know the basic bee races, where they were originally found and the major pros and cons of the bee races in common use today.

We harvest a number of products from honey bees, not just honey. For the principal product honey, know what constitutes quality and how beekeepers may negatively influence final preparation for sale or home use. Know and recognize preparation and uses of the other products and services of honey bees, such as propolis or pollination. An opportunity to judge a honey show or shadow a honey show judge could be useful exam preparation.

Oral Exam Protocol

The Oral Exam portion of the EAS Master Beekeeper testing evaluates a candidate’s ability to communicate their knowledge of honey bees accurately and positively. Master Beekeepers are teachers, and it is essential that they be able to “stand and deliver” under virtually any circumstances; they provide education and support for other beekeepers and serve their communities as local experts in beekeeping.

In the Oral Exam, the candidate is asked to prepare a presentation on a topic which is provided by the Certification Commitee one month prior to the conference. This tests the candidate’s ability to discuss an aspect of beekeeping as they would to a town planning board, bee club, or other organization where they are able to prepare in advance. “Visual Aids” such as posters, handouts or computers with Power Point presentations are permissible and encouraged for this timed, 5-minute portion of the exam.
Following the prepared question, the candidates are then asked three impromptu questions, one at a time, to answer during the remainder of the testing. These are questions which might be asked of the beekeeper in a variety of situations such as at a bee club meeting, talking with the non-beekeeping public, in front of a TV camera, or during a radio interview.

Each Master Beekeeper Candidate is tested by a panel of three examiners. The candidate has five (5) minutes to give their prepared talk. In each of the three impromptu questions, the candidate is allowed three (3) minutes for the answer. The entire interview is recorded.

The examining panelists complete an evaluation form that quantifies the potential new Master Beekeeper’s accuracy and completeness, delivery and presentation, ambassadorship, preparedness and listening skills. Each question is worth 25 points; the candidate must earn a score of 85 or higher from two of the three examiners in order to pass. Constructive comments as feedback complete the form, which candidates receive for their personal review when tests results are released later in the conference week.

The Oral Exam is an opportunity to let a candidate’s knowledge and confidence shine. An EAS Master Beekeeper will represent the beekeeping industry to the public and press and bears a weight of responsibility to educate beekeepers and non-beekeepers alike.

Oral Exam Preparation

The prepared topic presentation must be complete in and of itself. It is not to be an introduction to or a segment of a longer talk. Five minutes goes by very fast. Practice with your visual aids to be ready to use them. Rehearse keeping your presentation flowing and interesting and remaining within the allotted time.

As you prepare for the impromptu portion of the Oral Exam, learn to listen carefully to questions that are asked of yourself or others during meetings or discussions. Do others answer accurately and in a satisfying way? Train yourself to do that. Take a few seconds to organize your thoughts and the supporting thoughts you will weave into an informative, confident response in three minutes or under. Seek to include an introductory sentence, your major points, and a concluding sentence. Do not recite fact after fact but include relevant information that is appropriate for your audience. Present your answer in an interesting, engaging manner.

We have found the best ways of preparing for the oral exam are to develop listening skills and practice answering fellow beekeepers’ questions. Practice will give you confidence and the opportunity to sharpen your oral responses.

Previous years’ exam questions are posted on this site for your consideration.

~Engage with others and you will gain the experience to impress and satisfy the 3-member panel of the EAS Oral Examination. ~

Field Exam Protocol

  • Candidates will be evaluated on their ease and familiarity with colony examination techniques and on their responses to questions asked by the Master Beekeeper examiners. To pass the field exam, the average of the two examiners’ scores must be 85% or higher.
  • A candidate should come properly attired for colony inspection with their own veil, smoker, smoker fuel, lighter for the smoker and a new (unused) hive tool. Candidates who do not normally use a smoker must nonetheless be familiar with using a smoker effectively.
  • The exam will consist of having the candidate open one or more hives. Proper approach, method of opening, use of equipment, examination and closing of the hive is expected. The candidate is expected to inspect and evaluate the colony, especially as to the amount and condition of brood, food, health, strength, caste members and evidence of past and present colony conditions and identify any pest or diseases. In short, the candidate should confidently handle each colony examined and be able to assess its condition and make recommendations for appropriate management. Questions regarding hive condition, pieces of equipment, proper use of hive accessories, and colony care may be asked by the examiners during the testing.
  • Candidates should also expect to answer questions about normal colony inspection, care, and under what conditions and time of year certain manipulations (e.g. checking for queen cells, making divides, etc.) should be performed and how to complete such manipulations. We discourage the use of gloves except for medical reasons such as sting allergies. If you want to bring gloves, clean disposable nitrile gloves are preferred. If you must have leather gloves, they would need to be brand new. The reason for this is to minimize the risk of disease transmission to or from the testing colonies.
  • We discourage the use of gloves except for medical reasons such as sting allergies. If you want to bring gloves, clean disposable nitrile gloves are preferred. If you must have leather gloves, they would need to be brand new. The reason for this is to minimize the risk of disease transmission to or from the testing colonies.

How to Prepare for the Field Exam

The best preparation for the field exam is practice, practice, practice. In your practicing, consider being a mentor—all clubs are looking for volunteers to help the ‘newbees.’ By helping others, you will perfect your own skills—what better way to show what you know than to teach others?

Join an expert, such as an apiary inspector. This will also provide an excellent opportunity to learn about diseases and pests (see study notes under the lab exam) while observing and learning from an expert. Ask the expert to critique your hive handling skills—a good way to learn is by listening to what others have to offer on how you do things. Demonstrate your hive inspection and explanation techniques with the expert to help critique your inspection. Volunteer for a bee day/open hive event (if your club or association has one) or start one at your own apiary. You will be developing the ideals and objectives of an EAS Master Beekeeper by teaching and guiding others. Demonstrate your technique and have others do the same, comparing your inspection with that of others. Enjoy your bees and learn from them. Hive inspection is a two-way communication between you and your bees. Come to the EAS Master Beekeeper Field Exam prepared to impress your examiners that you ‘know your stuff.’