Texas Master Beekeeper Program
Volunteers Supporting Texas Beekeepers Since 2015

Master Requirements

Master Level Requirements

  1. Candidates must have held the Apprentice and Advanced Beekeeper ranks for one year each and have been a practicing beekeeper for at least three 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. Updated Requirement (Requirement for exams starting Fall 2025): Candidates must demonstrate and document 15 additional public service credits beyond those required for obtaining the Advanced Beekeeper level. “Extra” public service credits obtained during the Advanced Beekeeper level cannot be used to satisfy public service credit requirements in the Master Beekeeper level. Exams before Fall 2025 may use former requirement of 10 credits, but must use former rules as far as presentations to beekeeper groups etc.
  3. Candidates must choose and declare a major and demonstrate/document expertise in three (3) of 10 credits within the declared major. To do this, pick a major you are most comfortable undertaking. To become a Master Beekeeper, you will need to document completion of three credits within your major. “Double majors” are not allowed.
  4. Candidates must demonstrate/document expertise in five (5) “core” credits outside your major. For example, if you major in “Diagnosis and treatment of honey bee pests, parasites, and pathogens”, then you can acquire the extra core credits in other majors like “Honey Judging”, “Pollination ecology and bee botany”, etc. Additionally, we list in Appendix B additional credits that can be counted as core credits, though they are not tied to any one major. Extra credits achieved during the course of your training can carry over to the next level. For example, completing 6 core credits for your Master certificate allows one credit to be applied towards your Master Craftsman certificate since only five are required.
  5. Candidates must score 70% or higher on a written examination. The written examination 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 literature found on the Master Beekeeper reading list (Appendix D).

For PSC (Public Service Credit) hours:

If you are utilizing the 10 PSC hour requirement, you are subject to using the old PSC rules (beekeeper presentations are only 1/2 credit with a maximum of 5 credits for the testing level).

If you are utilizing the 15 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

Books:

  1. Bees, Wasps and Ants-Eric Grissell (2010)
  2. Honey Bee Colony Health-Diana Sammataro & Jay A. Yoder (2012)
  3. ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture – A.I. Root (2007)
  4. Honeybee Ecology- Thomas D. Seeley (1985)
  5. Africanized Honey Bees-Dewey Caron (2001)
  6. Bee Sex Essentials- Lawrence John Connor (2008)
  7. The Hive and Honey Bee Revisited (An annotated update of the L.L. Langstroth’s beekeeping classic) Roger Hoopingarner (2006)
  8. The Buzz about Bees –Jürgen Tautz-(2008)
  9. Honeybee Democracy-Thomas D. Seeley (2010)
  10. Swarm Essentials- Stephen J. Repasky (2014)

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