The British Beekeepers Association Examinations

If you are interested in taking any of the certificates or modules, please contact our Education Officer.

Basic Certificate	An oral and practical test held at any suitable apiary and conducted by a BBKA Assessor. It is open to all who have managed at least one colony of bees for a minimum of 12 months. The entrance fee is £20.00. Applications should be made to the Area Examination Secretary (or direct to BBKA Head Office if you are an individual member) at least one month before the date it is proposed to sit the Assessment. All assessments should be completed by 31st August.
General Husbandry Certificate	Open only to those who have passed the Basic Assessment and have kept and managed bees for at least five years. The Assessment is conducted by two BBKA Assessor and consists of: (a) Inspection of the Candidate's Apiary, Equipment and Honey handling equipment. (b) Manipulation of one or more colonies of the Candidate's bees (c) Demonstration of a method of selective queen rearing The entrance fee is £80.00. Application must be made by 28th February of the year in which it is intended to sit the Assessment.
Advanced Husbandry Certificate	Open only to those who have passed the General Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry at least 2 years previously. This Assessment is designed for beekeepers aspiring to lecture and demonstrate the craft of beekeeping to others. The Assessment will be conducted at a suitable location and will consist of the following tasks: (a) Manipulation of one or more colonies as required by the Assessor. (b) Presentation of a short lecturette on a practical topic to a small audience. (c) Demonstration of dissection for acarine and nosema analysis. (d) Discussion and practical on methods of queen rearing. (e) Discussion on other aspects of beekeeping as given in the syllabus. The entrance fee is £120.00. Application must be made by 28th February of the year in which it is intended to sit the Assessment.
Bee Health Certificate	Open only to those who have passed the Basic Certificate and kept bees for at least 3 years. The assessment is an oral and practical test held at any suitable apiary and conducted by a BBKA Assessor. It aims to improve knowledge of healthy methods of beekeeping and early detection of pests and diseases. The entrance fee is £40. Applications should be made to the Area Examination Secretary before the closing date of 28th February.
Honey Bee Breeding Certificate	Open only to those who have passed the Basic Certificate and kept bees for at least 5 years. This practical and oral assessment aims to encourage an improvement in the skills and methodology applied to the selective breeding of honey bees that are adapted to local conditions and have desirable characteristics.
Show Judge Certificate	This Assessment is designed to provide a suitable test for those beekeepers that wish to judge at small and regional shows and have some experience in obtaining awards and stewarding at these shows. The entrance fee is £40.00. Candidates wishing to take the Show Judges Assessment must meet the entry requirements as specified in the syllabus and then apply for a record book from the Examinations Board Secretary to record the following: (a) Stewarding for a number of BBKA Judges at major shows with more than 100 entries. (b) Judging at a number of Honey shows where 3 of the shows are assessed by 3 different BBKA Show Judges. (c) A final supervised judging and viva voce. (d) Record of awards at honey shows at third prize or higher at County or National level. (e) Record of other relevant experience such as Show Secretary. All this within a 5 year period. The Basic examination must have been passed at the time of entry and BBKA Module 1 and Module 2 Examinations or the BBKA General Husbandry Certificate (if not already attained) within the 5 year period.
Microscopy Certificate	Open only to those who have passed the Basic Assessment and have kept and managed bees for at least one year. Two BBKA Assessors conduct the Assessment which consists of practical dissection tasks and oral questioning. The entrance fee is £60.00 and application must be made by 31st August of the year in which it is intended to sit the Assessment.
Modular Assessments	Candidates are recommended to have kept bees for at least two seasons before sitting Module Exams. These Examinations consist of seven modules that may be taken in any order with the exception of Module 8, which must be taken in the last year of examinations. Each module is examined by a 1½ hour written paper. An Intermediate Certificate will be awarded when modules 1 to 3 and one other have been passed and an Advanced Theory Certificate when all modules have been passed. The Assessments are a searching test of the candidate's knowledge and power of expression. The entrance fee for each module is £30.00. For an Advanced Theory Certificate to be awarded the relevant modules must be passed in a time period not exceeding twelve years. Applications should be made by 10th February for the March series or 30th September for the November series. Past papers for the modules are available at £1 each from the BBKA Website or National Office, Stoneleigh. A maximum of four modules may be taken on any occasion.