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  • What is your hobby while winter?

  • General Chat about Gardens & Flowers
General Chat about Gardens & Flowers
 #2025  by MickBBKA
 21 Feb 2019, 00:05
Module exams have taken over my life, but they are great fun. The exams may be a bit out dated in format but the learning experience has made me realise how basic my knowledge of beekeeping was / is. I do honestly feel I will be a more knowledgeable beekeeper at the end of the process and hopefully a better one.


Cheers, Mick.
 #2030  by NigelP
 21 Feb 2019, 08:24
I would second Mick's thoughts on the modules for increasing your knowledge but add in there is no need to do the exams. If you are interested just in learning more about bees. The syllabus and topics are freely available so no need to put yourself to under time pressure to get a nicely made certificate that has no value outside of the BBKA it'self.
The genetics module means you need to understand mitosis and meiosis and is certainly not everyone's cup of tea. Neither is module 5, Bee biology which, with a few exceptions is rote learning of anatomical features and names.
 #2046  by Chrisbarlow
 22 Feb 2019, 08:19
Reading about bees, fixing kit or making new kit up, checking on Apiaries and from January feeding pollen substitute, more family time .
 #2059  by Patrick
 23 Feb 2019, 09:15
NigelP wrote:
21 Feb 2019, 08:24
I would second Mick's thoughts on the modules for increasing your knowledge but add in there is no need to do the exams.

How I wish this was a more prevelant attitude! I am personally ticked off with advanced courses only supplied conditional on attendees “studying for this exam or that exam”. I quite understand it focuses the trainers agenda but makes raising the standard of beekeeping above that provided by divisional beginner courses an unhill task for the many, I would suggest the great majority of beekeepers for whom the words exam and hobby do not readily form a sentence. Thankfully there are exceptions, but I am convinced the historic tying of learning to examination has held back practical advancement for many. I suspect that is why books and now the Internet are so popular as a way to learn as they are unconditional on the user.

David Charles’s excellent recent mini series in the BBKA news on the history of annoiting Experts summed it up well.

Not that I feel strongly on the subject obviously.. :D
 #2088  by DianeBees
 24 Feb 2019, 10:43
Without modules to do I thought I'd be at a bit of a loss, but have instead prepared a module 1 course for my club and am polishing the introductory course up a bit too.
I'd had a crazy idea of creating talks for the AH talk subjects too - because they'd be useful, but haven't done that.

I also have an allotment, but there's not much to be done there over winter, and I'm going to be getting some chickens. We're working on the coop currently and it may be some time.

I also knit (badly), crochet, needle felt and mess about with various crafts.
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