Texas Master Beekeeper Program
Volunteers Supporting Texas Beekeepers Since 2015

Advanced Requirements

Advanced Beekeeper Requirements

  1. Candidates must have held the Apprentice Beekeeper rank at least one year and have been a practicing beekeeper for at least two years. Additionally, 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. Click here to register as a Texas beekeeper.
  2. Candidates must show proof of passing six (6) computerized honey bee training modules with a score of 80% or higher. The modules focus on (1) honey bee pests/parasites/pathogens, (2) social wasps & bees, (3) pollination biology, (4) pesticides and honey bees, (5) Africanized honey bees, and (6) honey judging.  These modules are available online here and the quizzes are available on the TMBP tracking module.
  3. Candidates must score 70% or higher on a written examination. The written exam can include, but is not limited to: materials covered during previous Texas Beekeepers Association Conference lectures; information on the Texas Apiary Inspection Service website; information found on the Texas A&M Honey Bee Lab website, the UF Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory website, the AFBEE website, and reading materials found on the Advanced Beekeeper reading list. This examination will cover more information than that required for the Apprentice Beekeeper level. The exams will include information taught in the advanced level training modules.
  4. Candidates must score 70% or higher on a practical examination. The practical exam can include, but is not limited to: scoring a jar of show honey, reading pesticide labels and determining which is the safest to use around bees, identifying several beekeeping items, examining honey labels for errors, distinguishing between bees, wasps, hornets, etc., and identifying the anatomical structures of a bee and a flower.
  5. Updated Requirement (Requirement for exams starting Fall 2025): Candidates must perform and document completion of ten (10) public service credits with the provided service credit documentation form. A candidate can, and is encouraged to, complete and submit more than ten public service credits prior to taking the Advanced Beekeeper examinations but the “extra” credits cannot be used toward satisfying credit requirements in higher program levels. Exams before Fall 2025 may use former requirement of 5 credits, but must use former rules as far as presentations to beekeeper groups, etc.

For PSC (Public Service Credit) hours:

If you are utilizing the 5 PSC hour requirement, you are subject to using the old PSC rules (beekeeper presentations are only 1/2 credit with a maximum of 1 credit for the testing level).

If you are utilizing the 10 PSC hour requirement, you may use updated PSC rules which allow for presentations to bee clubs to count as 1 credit and there is no maximum.

PSCs are now documented on the TMBP Tracking Module.  The following PSC Form may still be used: PSC Form

Reading List

Advanced Level Study Guide

Books:

  1. The Hive and the Honey Bee, Extensively Revised Edition– Dadant and Sons, Inc. (2015)
  2. The Biology of the Honey Bee – Mark Winston (1991)
  3. Honey Bee Diseases & Pests, Third Edition-Stephen F. Pernal and Heather Clay (2015)
  4. The Honey Bee-V.R. Vickery (1991)
  5. Increase Essentials-Lawrence John Connor (2006)
  6. Killer Bees- Mark L. Winston (1992)

Recommended Periodicals:

  1. American Bee Journal
  2. Bee Culture

Recommended Websites:

  1. All “honey bee” entries (search for “honey bee”) at: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/
  2. Texas Apiary Inspection Service
  3. The University of Florida AFBEE
  4. eXtension: America’s Research-based Learning Network
  5. Honey Bee Health Coalition Varroa Management
  6. Georgia Master Beekeeper Lecture Notes

Modules

Public Service Document