Peter Sieling—MASTER BEEKEEPER

I know of two ways to achieve Master BEEKEEPER, the Eagle scout of beekeeping. You can pay several thousand dollars and take a plethora of classes at Cornell University. Then in a big ceremony you receive a titanium plated smoker inscribed with your name and date. Or you can pay fifty dollars and attend an Eastern Apicultural Society Conference, take a test and receive the same title. Taking the Cornell route, by the time you complete the required number of classes, you’ve probably forgotten most of what you learned and they don’t really grade you. Pay the money and they’re happy. Taking the EAS quiz, you have to know the stuff, but you save a lot of time and money. I got a copy of last year’s exam for practice from Clarence Collison, the test master. If you read his monthly quiz in Bee Culture, you’ll get a good idea on how you rate. You need an 80% to pass. I squeaked by with an 81%. I could be a MASTER BEEKEEPER. Wow.

Now that I’m an unofficial MASTER BEEKEEPER, I’m ready to dispense advice to any beginner or intermediate beekeepers. Master Beekeepers are expected to teach others. So…e-mail me today at garresonlumber@hotmail.com . I can guarantee you’ll get the correct answer at least 81% of the time.