Adventures in Organic Gardening

Curiously absent from anything I was able to find online about the Apprentice Level exam of the Texas Master Beekeeper program was an explanation of the format of the testing day.

In this post I won’t divulge any of the content of the test at all. It just would have been helpful to me to know the format of the day.

First of all, let me say that the testing day was well organized and everyone was friendly. Not only the people there to administer the test, but also my fellow test takers.

The test was divided into three parts. Two parts are inside the room, the other is outside where you actually open a hive and an examiner asks you various questions.

As far as the two parts inside, one part is where you walk around tables on which have been placed various beekeeping objects on one side, and photos of various pests and diseases on the other side. On your test sheets you are asked various questions about each and are required to place your answer ultimately on a scantron sheet. (You know, the kind where you need to have a #2 pencil and fill in the bubble.) Don’t worry about bringing the sheet or the pencil, both are provided.

So that’s pretty much it. Study. Watch the review videos over and over again. I can pretty much quote them word-for-word by now.

I received my passing score the middle of the next week. Now onward to the Advanced certification!

Still studying for the Apprentice Beekeeper Exam!

Previous Study Guide Posts:

American Foulbrood
European Foulbrood
Nosema
Chalkbrood
Sacbrood
Parasitic Mite Syndrome

Finally! A disease that can’t be mistaken for half a dozen other diseases! The name is fairly self explanatory.

According to the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, symptoms include “twisted, shriveled wings, bloated abdomens, decreased body size, and discoloration”.

Like Parasitic Mite Syndrome, Deformed wing virus is brought in by Varroa. Yet another reason to keep that Varroa population under control.

Helpful Link about Deformed Wing Virus

Our study session marches onward. Here is the study guide for the apprentice level exam for the Texas Master Beekeeper Program.

Previous Study Guide Posts:

American Foulbrood
European Foulbrood
Nosema
Chalkbrood
Sacbrood

What causes PMS isn’t really known. What is true, though, is that this disease is correlated with the presence of Varroa mites. So, it seems logical to me that this is something that rides in on the back of mites and infects the hive.

Just another reason to work diligently to keep the mite population in check in your hive. (Unlike the people I met recently who didn’t want to put “anything unnatural” in their hives and therefore had never treated for Varroa. They’d been keeping bees for four years and had yet to have a hive survive winter. Coincidence? I think not. But I digress.)

The more I’m studying all of these diseases, the more they sound a little like each other. Also, good beekeeping practices sound like they go a long way toward avoiding, reducing and eliminating every one of them.

Texas Apiary Inspection Service link on Parasitic Mite Syndrome

Studying continues for the Apprentice Beekeeper Exam. Here is the study guide.

Previous articles in this series include: European Foulbrood, American Foulbrood, Nosema and Chalkbrood.

Next on the hit parade of bee diseases is Sacbrood. Fortunately this one isn’t as disasterous as the others we’ve studied so far.

Sacbrood is caused by a virus that the adult bees pass along to the larvae. The Texas Apiary Inspection Service says it is “not a source of major concern for beekeepers”.

The virus kills the larvae, which then die…then the bees that go to clean up the cells eat the infected larvae, which then passes along the virus. And so it goes.

There isn’t a remedy for it except that it usually clears up on its own once the nectar starts flowing. The best prevention is keeping strong healthy colonies. Sound familiar?

Here is a helpful link about Sacbrood.

The fourth honey bee disease on the list for the Apprentice Level Exam for the Texas Master Beekeeper Program is Chalkbrood.

Chalkbrood isn’t as scary as American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood and Nosema. Chalkbrood is a fungal disease. There isn’t really a treatment for it, but the bees usually get rid of it through their normal hygenic behavior. Cases are usually seen in springtime especially when it’s damp and cool. The name comes from how the dead larvae get all white and chalky and swell to fill the cell in which they’re located.

Adult bees clean up the chalkbrood and get rid of the disease. In fact, the white mummies fall to the bottom board of the hive where you can see them. If it seems to be persistent, requeen for better stock that will keep things nice and tidy in the hive.

So there you go! Next: Sacbrood!

Here are a couple of helpful links:
Texas Apiary Inspection Service Article on Chalkbrood
Helpful YouTube Video on Chalkbrood