BBKA Forum

British Beekeepers Association Official Forum 

  • The basic

  • Examinations Questions/Answers & advice for others
Examinations Questions/Answers & advice for others
 #79  by Bobsbees
 23 Jul 2018, 12:17
I have been told I should have a look at the basic exam so where do I start?
 #98  by AdamD
 24 Jul 2018, 13:48
The syllabus can be downloaded from the BBKA website. You will need to be able to make a frame up and carry out an inspection. When I assess candidates, I ask that they don't bring used leather gloves with them. I will happily supply disposables. However one candidate brought her husbands thick leather gauntlets which were too big and really were worse than useless!
One thing that candidates are often weak on is disease recognition so you need to be fairly fluent on it, it's an important consideration. Most people pass the exam; however it can take a while to tease answers out of candidates if their knowledge is a bit vague, so please be kind to the examiners and be sure of the answers for a quick reply to the questions!
Passing the exam is sometimes necessary to be able to keep bees on an allotment, for example, as it shows a level of competency, so well worth doing.
 #102  by DianeBees
 24 Jul 2018, 16:11
Our allotment site says you must be working towards passing the basic assessment if you want to keep bees. Some people compare it to a driving test but I don't think it's that scary!

The syllabus is available to download as Adam says
https://www.bbka.org.uk/basic-assessment-syllabus

It's in four parts and you need to pass all four parts
These are:
2.2.1 Manipulation and Equipment. Practical Assessment of the Candidate’s
ability to handle bees and beekeeping equipment and the ability to interpret
what is observed.
2.2.2 Oral questioning and Assessment of the Candidate’s knowledge of Natural
History and Beekeeping.
2.2.3 Oral questioning on Swarming, Swarm Control and effects.
2.2.4 Oral questioning on Diseases and Pests,

The syllabus breaks this down into chunks so you can see the different bits involved for each.

The fees and application form are at the bottom of this page
https://www.bbka.org.uk/learn

A good bee book like the The BBKA Guide to Beekeeping, Second Edition or the (Haynes) The Bee Manual: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Keeping Bees are a great place to start.

There's some lovely sites with lots of useful information on that are worth looking at:

http://apiarynotes.blogspot.com/2013/05 ... n-day.html
Plenty of information on this one including an On the day post!
BBKA Basic Assessment : Syllabus 2013
Basic Assessment notes - Part 1 : Manipulation of a Honeybee Colony
Basic Assessment notes - Part 2 : Equipment
Basic Assessment notes - Part 3 : Natural History of the Honeybee
Basic Assessment notes - Part 4 : Beekeeping
Basic Assessment notes - Part 5 : Disease and Pests
BBKA Basic Assessment notes : On the day

https://www.alananna.co.uk/blog/2014/ta ... ssessment/

https://missapismellifera.com/2012/07/1 ... afternoon/
Taking the BBKA basic assessment on a rainy Sunday afternoon

https://adventuresinbeeland.com/2010/07 ... ment-exam/

And Mid Bucks study notes are well worth a listing here.
https://blog.mbbka.org.uk/category/educ ... ment-exam/
Essential reading for the Basic and modules!

The day I took my basic assessment was a slightly drizzly day in August. Quite late August so there wasn't really another opportunity to reschedule. My assessor was lovely and waited patiently for me to light my smoker under slightly adverse conditions. The bees were fine, and I answered all the questions when we sat down together afterwards in a lovely little summer house at Ormskirk's out apiary. I wasn't required to nail together a frame, just point out where I would hammer the nails in, which I did. I had by that point made about a 100 or so frames so that wouldn't have been difficult. I enjoyed taking the assessment and felt that I had benefited from the experience.