Apprentice

Apprentice Beekeeper Requirements

  1. the candidate must have a current Beekeeper Registration on-file with the Texas Apiary Inspection Service OR be a registered beekeeper in their home state. Texas Beekeeper Registration applies to the listed beekeeper and their immediate family.
  2. must own at least one colony of honey bees for at least one full year.
  3. must score a 70% or higher on a written examination. The written test can include, but is not limited to: materials covered during previous Texas Beekeepers Association Conference lectures; information on the Texas Apiary Inspection Service website (http://txbeeinspection.tamu.edu/); information found on the African Bee Extension and Education Program website (https://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/honey-bee/extension/beekeeper-resources/african-bees/); and materials from books/other literature on the Apprentice Beekeeper reading list.
  4. must score 70% or higher on a practical examination. The practical examination can include but is not limited to describing the physical parts of a beehive (common terms, not regional nomenclature); lighting and properly using a smoker; recognizing the various stages of brood, different castes of bees, and finding or at least describing the queen; differentiating between brood, pollen, and capped honey; recognizing propolis and describing its functions; describing the layout of a brood nest (placement of honey, pollen, and brood), etc.

Reading List

Apprentice Level Study Guide

Books:

  1. The Beekeeper’s Handbook, 4th Edition – Diana Sammataro and Alphonse Avitabile (2011)
  2. First Lessons in Beekeeping – Keith Delaplane (2007)
  3. The Backyard Beekeeper, 4th Edition – Kim Flottum (2018)
  4. Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping, 2nd Edition – Dewey Caron (2013)

Periodicals:

  1. American Bee Journal
  2. Bee Culture

Websites:

  1. All “honey bee” entries (search for “honey bee”) at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/
  2. Texas Apiary Inspection Service: http://txbeeinspection.tamu.edu/
  3. The University of Florida AFBEE: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/honey-bee/beekeeper-resources/african-bees/
  4. Bee Informed Partnership: https://beeinformed.org/
  5. eXtension: America’s Research-based Learning Network: https://bee-health.extension.org/
  6. Honey Bee Health Coalition: https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/resources/varroa-management/

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