Melissa Moore 2019-09-09 11:38:55
Continuing education looms as a priority in the beekeeping community. The Vermont Beekeepers Association offers two options to satisfy this need, the Mentoring Program and the Vermont Certified Beekeeper Program. The two programs go hand in hand but are different in organization and focus.
The Vermont Certified Beekeeper program has the longest track record, launching 13 years ago in 2006. Bill Mares and Ross Conrad oversee the program. Bill has 40 years of experience and this is Ross Conrad’s 27th year with bees. They have each published several beekeeping books, served as past presidents of their state associations, and are recognized as experts in the field.
“It’s our way to spawn beekeepers helping beekeepers,” Bill says. “We want experienced beekeepers to gain the confidence to be generous with their knowledge.”
The VBA certifies applicants who successfully complete all three parts of the program. Each applicant must earn a passing score of 80% or better on the written test. A hands-on hive inspection is completed with Bill or Ross. During the hive inspection, applicants must show competency using hive tools, reading the frames, and making other beekeeping management decisions. Community outreach is the third component. Once all three requirements are met, the applicant is awarded the title of Vermont Certified Beekeeper and earns a badge to wear on his or her suit.
There is no cost to complete the program beyond being a member of the Vermont Beekeepers Association.
Bill adds, “For test prep, we recommend reviewing the Best Management Practices posted on the Association’s website.” When applicants think about questions that may be generated from the BMPs and then combine this with knowledge gained from their own experience, success should follow.
The hive inspection is completed at a bee yard sponsored by the VBA or another mutually agreed upon apiary. Often applicants plan to take the written test and complete the hive inspection at the annual summer meeting. Bill explains, “Ross and I have a checklist of tasks we ask each applicant to complete. They earn a score ranging from 1 to 5 on each task, with 1 the lowest score and 5 the highest.”
Many options satisfy the Community Outreach component. Some beekeepers staff the VBA sponsored booth at the Vermont Farm Show or at a county fair, while others speak about honey bees and pollinators at a public library or other educational type function. Beekeepers often reach out to young people by speaking to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or school groups. The applicants for VBA certified beekeeper must reflect on this community outreach experience by submitting a 300-400 word written essay summarizing their experience.
Ross adds, “Applicants are expected to complete all requirements within a two year window. If a passing score is not obtained on the first try, then the applicant would be asked to wait a period of time, and try again.”
“This is a measure of a beekeeper’s basic skill set,” Ross says. “It’s not as rigorous as Master Beekeeping Certificates offered by other organizations. Our goal is to identify beekeepers who can manage bees for optimal hive health and show competency with essential skills.”
Dannah Beauregard is Vermont’s newest certified beekeeper. She reports, “The Vermont Certified Beekeeping program is great because it is so approachable and doable.” This is Dannah’s fifth year with bees. This summer she is managing four hives. She runs one deep wooden brood box, topped with medium styrofoam boxes and supers. “The bees surprise you,” she says. “I thought about downsizing a bit this year, then this spring I caught a swarm. When I grabbed a box to put them in, I discovered a laying queen, brood, and another bee colony already there. I quickly abandoned my plans to go through the summer with just two production hives.”
Her test prep was to take the test. Dannah reports, “A friend of mine said, ‘Let’s do this.’” So they did. Dannah passed and moved onto the hive inspection. She remembers during the hive inspection she fielded many hypothetical “What if …” type of questions. In addition, her technique with the smoker, hive tools, and movements through the boxes was evaluated.
She had already clocked community service hours working at the Franklin County Field Days, Vermont Flower Show, and co-leading a beginner class at the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery Dairy Store.
“Being service oriented is just who I am,” Dannah says. “When you have a passion for your hobby or sideline business, telling others about it just comes naturally.”
Dannah serves as president of the Franklin County Bee Club. The county is located in Vermont’s northwest corner, bordered by Quebec to the north and Lake Champlain to the west.
“Our club is blessed to have Michael Palmer of French Hill Apiary right here in Franklin County,” she says. “He willingly shares his wealth of knowledge with us.” The club members are often invited to Palmer’s bee yards in St. Albans and the surrounding area to assist with tasks that need doing, like queen catching.
“I’ve had a lifelong fascination with insects and the natural world,” Dannah says. Her introduction to bees came about when one of her first jobs was serving as a Park Naturalist at a Delaware state park. The park’s observation hive was a popular stop on her tour.
She adds, “One thing I like best with beekeeping is there is no proprietary information. People are willing to share.”
Dannah refers to a wide range of resources to assist her with managing bees. She looks for answers within the Vermont beekeeping community, from national experts, and sometimes online. She explains, “I’m always very careful to evaluate the source of my information. Online answers may be right for Texas or Georgia, but not reasonable for my situation in northern Vermont. When I have a question, I want to know that the answer is matched to my region.”
Scott Wilson of Heavenly Honey Apiary, the VBA mentoring coordinator, concurs, “Through both the certified beekeeping program and our mentor program we’re building a valuable repository of knowledge for Vermont beekeepers.”
Prior to 2018, matching newbies with mentors was a random and haphazard experience. Two years ago the VBA adopted a more organized program and appointed Scott as coordinator. “We realize there are many new beekeepers getting started,” Scott says. “We want them to be able to learn from an experienced beekeeper. Beekeeping should be taken seriously. It’s not helpful for two inexperienced beekeepers to start down a path that might unknowingly lead them to destruction.”
The requirements for both mentors and mentees are described on the VBA website. Scott reviews each request from eligible mentees and does his best to match the mentee and mentor up geographically. The mentors are surveyed often to discover their needs and monitor the program’s success.
Scott adds, “One way we can have one mentor work with multiple mentees, is to ask the mentees to travel to their mentor’s bee yard. This way the new beekeeper can learn from comparing and looking in other hives. Also as a result, the mentee has more skin in the game, and their commitment is stronger.”
Currently the demand for mentors outstrips mentees 2:1. Scott hopes the roster of mentors will expand through both the VBA certification program and the willingness of successful mentees to eventually move up.
Jack Rath, VBA president, and coowner of Betterbee in Greenwich, New York, reports, “Interest in joining the state association has been up in recent years,” a trend that mirrors the growing interest in beekeeping. He adds, “We recognize one of our biggest challenges is to help beginners be successful. We don’t want new beekeepers to get discouraged and quit. Our hope is the mentor program and the certification program will help beekeepers enjoy long term success.”
Navigate to the VBA website at www.vermontbeekeepers.org to see a description of the mentor and mentee requirements and discover more educational resources.
Melissa Moore has been a beekeeper for four years. She is a member of her local and state bee clubs. She has written for publication in the areas of horticulture, agriculture, and environmental science. Melissa has a degree in library science and educational technology. She lives on her family's 210-acre farm, where she gains hands-on experience though her involvement with their diversified farm.
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