Are you interested in the Texas Master Beekeeper's Program?
FIRST STEP: Texas Beekeeper Registration ( $35 mailed check to Texas Apiary Inspection Service.)
SECOND STEP: Register for the exam on Texas AgriLife when available ($75 online payment to Texas Agrilife)
APPRENTICE REQUIREMENTS:
ADVANCED REQUIREMENTS:
MASTER REQUIREMENTS:
- Be a registered beekeeper: Have a current Beekeeper Registration with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service OR be registered in your home state.
- Own bees: Have at least one colony of honey bees for at least one full year.
- Pass written exam: Score 70% or higher. Study materials include past Texas Beekeepers Association Conference lectures, Texas Apiary Inspection Service website, African Bee Extension and Education Program website, and books/other literature on the Apprentice Beekeeper reading list.
- Pass practical exam: Score 70% or higher. Be able to identify beehive parts, use a smoker, recognize brood stages and bee castes, describe the queen, differentiate between brood, pollen, and capped honey, recognize propolis and its functions, and describe the layout of a brood nest.
ADVANCED REQUIREMENTS:
- Be a practicing beekeeper: Held Apprentice Beekeeper rank for at least one year and been practicing for at least two years. Must have current registration in Texas or home state.
- Complete training: Pass six computerized honey bee training modules with a score of 80% or higher. Modules include honey bee pests/parasites/pathogens, social wasps & bees, pollination biology, pesticides and honey bees, Africanized honey bees, and honey judging.
- Pass written exam: Score 70% or higher. Study materials include Texas Beekeepers Association Conference lectures, Texas Apiary Inspection Service, Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab, UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, AFBEE website, and Advanced Beekeeper reading list.
- Pass practical exam: Score 70% or higher. Be able to score a jar of show honey, read pesticide labels, identify beekeeping items, examine honey labels for errors, distinguish between bees, wasps, hornets, etc., and identify bee and flower anatomical structures.
- Public service credits: Perform and document completion of five public service credits. Extra credits can be submitted but cannot be used toward higher program levels.
MASTER REQUIREMENTS:
- Experience: Held Apprentice and Advanced Beekeeper ranks for one year each and practiced for at least three years. Must have current registration in Texas or home state.
- Public service credits: Show proof of 10 additional public service credits beyond those required for Advanced Beekeeper level. Extra credits from Advanced Beekeeper level cannot be reused for Master Beekeeper.
- Declare a major: Pick a major and complete three credits within that major. No double majors allowed.
- Core credits: Complete five core credits outside your major. Extra credits during training can carry over to the next level.
- Pass written exam: Score 70% or higher. Study materials include Texas Beekeepers Association Conference lectures, Texas Apiary Inspection Service, Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab, UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory, AFBEE website, and Master Beekeeper reading list.