BBKA Basic Assessment,
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For want of a better word
Queen Bee
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What do the BBKA recommend?
Doesn’t matter if it’s wrong. As Cheers says, it’s a BBKA exam but chill, nobody fails it.
B
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Reigate in the link below you will find some links to BBKA basic exam notes and details about the exam.
It does have a high pass rate but 3% of candidates fail.
https://ybka.org.uk/basic-assessment/
It does have a high pass rate but 3% of candidates fail.
https://ybka.org.uk/basic-assessment/
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- 6 to 8 Langstroth jumbos, a few Langstroth and National nucs.
I took it earlier this year.
Read the syllabus, know simple beekeeping and even I can pass...
Read the syllabus, know simple beekeeping and even I can pass...
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Learn how to light a smoker by rubbing tweo sticks together.
Matches are reserved for jamming under crown boards
Matches are reserved for jamming under crown boards
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If you have kept bees for the last couple of years - If you can tell a drone from a worker, capped brood from capped honey and pollen from a larvae. ..If you know your basic diseases and how you would deal with these and parasites, the bee life cycle and all the time keep your smoker alight ... you will pass my Son.
With apologies to Rudyard Kipling ..
Seriously, it's more about your practical ability to open a hive, inspect the colony and tell the examiner what you can see and what your are looking for than any deep knowledge - there should not be any tricky or trick questions.
The examiners in our neck of the woods are very reasonable and helpful .. you've really got to be a muppet to fail.
With apologies to Rudyard Kipling ..
Seriously, it's more about your practical ability to open a hive, inspect the colony and tell the examiner what you can see and what your are looking for than any deep knowledge - there should not be any tricky or trick questions.
The examiners in our neck of the woods are very reasonable and helpful .. you've really got to be a muppet to fail.
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I think it was on the basic assessment that I got asked how to collect a sample of bees to send off for analysis, at which I stared vacantly like a dumb walrus. The answer involved a match box...
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My club run a six-week basic course. Ask yours if they do such a thing.
Rooster007
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Did mine this year and passed and it wasn't as bad as you think its going to be.
The examiner was really helpful and is pretty much giving you the answers if you listen to them emphasize on words if you get stuck.
I had to do a hive inspection identifying aspects of the colony and brood etc. build a frame from scratch, then answer some questions.
Just talk to yourself about what you are doing and why on the hive inspection and what you are looking for and this will cover what he needs.
I did have to collect bees to send off for a sample (practice) but we had a tip to shake off some bees into an old takeaway container (in my pocket), then tip them into a matchbox. It was much easier than trying to get them into a small box.
Make sure your smoker is lit before starting and it stays lit until the end.
There was questions on diseases after the inspection which were OK and I managed them.
The one that got me was how to test if the hive is queenless.
A basic question but my mind went blank and I don't know how many times the examiner mentioned "brood" to me to encourage the answer from me but I just didn't say take young brood from another colony to see if they will raise QC's.
Its like your driving test and the questions you get wrong, you will never forget.
My examiner explained to me where I was struggling afterwards and I was kicking myself because we'd gone through this at the local club.
A nice guy and keen to talk afterwards.
At the end of the day, you are showing commitment doing the exam and the BBKA want people to enjoy the hobby.
Good luck, you'll be fine.
The examiner was really helpful and is pretty much giving you the answers if you listen to them emphasize on words if you get stuck.
I had to do a hive inspection identifying aspects of the colony and brood etc. build a frame from scratch, then answer some questions.
Just talk to yourself about what you are doing and why on the hive inspection and what you are looking for and this will cover what he needs.
I did have to collect bees to send off for a sample (practice) but we had a tip to shake off some bees into an old takeaway container (in my pocket), then tip them into a matchbox. It was much easier than trying to get them into a small box.
Make sure your smoker is lit before starting and it stays lit until the end.
There was questions on diseases after the inspection which were OK and I managed them.
The one that got me was how to test if the hive is queenless.
A basic question but my mind went blank and I don't know how many times the examiner mentioned "brood" to me to encourage the answer from me but I just didn't say take young brood from another colony to see if they will raise QC's.
Its like your driving test and the questions you get wrong, you will never forget.
My examiner explained to me where I was struggling afterwards and I was kicking myself because we'd gone through this at the local club.
A nice guy and keen to talk afterwards.
At the end of the day, you are showing commitment doing the exam and the BBKA want people to enjoy the hobby.
Good luck, you'll be fine.
