Education
Our mission is to support Washington State beekeeping clubs by providing high-quality educational content and guidance that helps beekeepers of all levels maintain healthy honeybee colonies and be knowledgeable honeybee ambassadors in their community.
Program Goals:
- To help those interested in beekeeping determine whether it is an activity that they should pursue in terms of time, effort and cost;
- To increase the knowledge of beekeepers about honey bees;
- To develop a pool of people capable talking to the media and public on bees and beekeeping;
- To provide an objective system for an individual to evaluate and measure their own level of expertise; and
- To encourage membership in and support of WASBA and local beekeeper organizations.
Program Curriculum:
Tap on the curriculum level you are interested in below to open the details for that level.
The Beginning Beekeeper course is an introduction to honeybee biology, equipment, and hive management that provides basic information on how to maintain a colony successfully the first year and is intended to help a person decide if they want to start keeping bees.
Course Prerequisites:
- There are no prerequisites for taking the WASBA Beginning Beekeeping Course!
Certification Requirements:
- Register for and attend a WASBA Beginning Beekeeping Course with a WASBA member club or organization.
- Complete the open-book Beginning Beekeeping Test and pass with a minimum score of 80%.
The course Instructor will record student contact information and passing test score with WASBA. WASBA will then prepare a Beginning Beekeeping Certificate.
The Apprentice Beekeeper course is intended for the beekeeper who wants to learn more about options and techniques in successful management of colonies, especially Winterization, Second Year hive management, and Varrora Mite control.
Course Prerequisites:
- Be a member of the Washington State Beekeepers Association.
- Be a member of a local club or beekeeping organization (if possible).
- Successfully complete the WASBA Beginning Beekeeping Certification.
Certification Requirements:
- Register for, and attend, a WASBA Apprentice Beekeeping Course with a WASBA member club or organization.
- Complete the open-book Apprentice Beekeeping Test and pass with a minimum score of 85%.
The course Instructor will record student contact information and passing test score with WASBA. WASBA will then prepare an Apprentice Beekeeping Certification and patch.
The Journeyman Beekeeper course is intended for the beekeeper with at least 4 years of experience keeping honeybees. This course is for the serious beekeeper who wants to broaden their knowledge of bee biology, hive management, and honeybee small business; and demonstrate this knowledge and skills through field and written testing.
Course Prerequisites:
- Be a member of the Washington State Beekeepers Association.
- Be a member of a local club or beekeeping organization (if possible).
- Successfully complete the WASBA Apprentice Beekeeping Certification.
Certification Requirements*
*After receiving a WASBA Apprentice Beekeeping Certificate:
- Register for and attend a WASBA Journeyman Beekeeping Course with a WASBA member club or organization.
- Keep honeybee colonies for a minimum of 3 years.
- Maintain a beekeeping journal for a minimum of 2 years.
- Earn at least 35 Public Service Points. Keep a written record that includes dates, supervisors, and points earned per event/activity.
- Mentor a new beekeeper for one beekeeping season. Keep a written record that includes mentee name, dates of activity, and description of activity.
- Pass the Journeyman Beekeepers Field Test with a minimum score of 90%.
- Complete and Pass the closed-book Journeyman Beekeeping Test with a minimum score of 85%.
The course Instructor will verify all requirements, record student contact information, as well as the passing test and field test scores with WASBA. WASBA will then prepare a Journeyman Beekeeping Certification and patch.
*Washington State Department of Corrections only
The Craftsman Beekeeper course is designed for the incarcerated beekeeper in Washington State with at least 7 years of beekeeping experience. The Craftsman Beekeeper will show a level of expertise in a honeybee subject which will be pre-approved by WASBA Education.
Course Prerequisites:
- Be a member of the Washington State Beekeepers Association through the Sustainability in Prisons Program.
- Successfully complete the WASBA Journeyman Beekeeping Certification.
Certification Requirements*
*After receiving a WASBA Journeyman Beekeeping Certificate:
- Keep honeybee colonies for an additional minimum of 3 years.
- Earn at least 35 Service Points.*
- Complete a pre-approved Practical Research Project and then submit it to the WASBA Education Committee for review. *
The course Instructor will verify all requirements and record student contact information with WASBA. WASBA will then prepare a Craftsman Beekeeping Certification and patch.
The Master Beekeeper course is for the beekeeper with at least 7 years of beekeeping experience. WASBA has partnered with Washington State University to create a robust, self-paced program with the goal of preparing students to become expert beekeepers and knowledgeable resources within the beekeeping community.
About the Course
The course is split into two parts: an online class session (open for 4 months) via WSU, and then hands-on activities to be completed alongside WASBA (to be finished within 2 years of the class inception). The four-month class session includes pre-recorded seminars, reading, quizzes, challenging projects, participation in virtual conversations with classmates, monthly live discussions via zoom, and a written exam.
The class sessions will be available once a year, starting in August. The hands-on activities will include an extension and outreach project and completion of 40 WASBA Service Points.
Course Prerequisites:
- Be a member of the Washington State Beekeepers Association.
- Be a member of a local club or beekeeping organization (if possible).
- Successfully complete the WASBA Journeyman Beekeeper certification within the last five years of application,
Or, have successfully completed a Journeyman beekeeper certification within the last five years from another WASBA approved program.
Or, complete and pass (85% or better) a 50 question WASBA Journeyman screening test. - Keep honeybee colonies for an additional minimum of 3 years after receiving a Journeyman certification.
Application Steps:
- Complete the Masters Program Application below including paying the $25 non-refundable application fee (the fee will be applied to the registration fee for all successful candidates). The Education Committee will review your application and contact you to review and provide more information on the electronic questions/test. **Submit your application by JUNE 15 for the AUGUST class!**
- The WASBA Education committee will schedule an interview appointment for the first two weeks in July.
- Successful candidates need to submit a $75 payment to WSU and a $300 payment to WASBA to register for the course. The $25 application fee will be applied to the registration fee. Registration must be completed by JULY 20 to allow time to mail course materials for the August session.