Motivation for Module 2

[starflex]

Is anyone working up to the Mod 2 exam in March?

If so, do you have any spare motivation? as I am finding the whole syllabus absolutely dire.

Mods 1,3 and 6 were all pertinant to practical beekeeping, and I found them both educational (the whole point of the exerice!) and interesting.

Mod 2 seems to be an exercise in learning, for the sake of learning.

If I want to know what size print I need for a honey label I will go and look it up as it may have recently changed. As I do not wish to spoil my honey, I always check warming temperature and not rely on memory.

What do other folks think?

 

[Easy Beesy]

Presumably, as honey is a foodstuff, it's important to learn the regulations and legislation before selling any.
Also you will be expected to know a lot of it for General Husbandry, if you decide to do it.

 

[starflex]

Presumably, as honey is a foodstuff, it's important to learn the regulations and legislation before selling any.
Also you will be expected to know a lot of it for General Husbandry, if you decide to do it.

Rules and Regs change, therefore the important thing is to know is where to look them up, so you comply.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Rules and Regs change, therefore the important thing is to know is where to look them up, so you comply.

agree, , things change over time....i got told off as I was going to sell honey in 500g . i was told that as it was only in 227g or 454g.....no it is not, that went out several years ago

But agree Module 2 is dire, who needs to know that wax contains hydroxy acids the most common of which is 15-hydroyhexadecanoic Acid and very little is 23-hydroxytetracosanoic acid

 

[Neils]

I'm struggling to enjoy this one as well to be honest and am doing it very much to get it out of the way. Some of it has been ok, but I've very little interest in preparing blocks of wax for honey shows and the like

 

[susbees]

If you survive 1 then 2 isn't that bad. I suspect you will never take 5 or 8 with the current mindset.

 

[DanBee]

Yes, I agree the learning of honey and beeswax constituents is tedious. Do beware Yates' frequent spiralling into unnecessary details though; have any of the past papers actually asked what the proportions and names of beeswax constituents are? (serious question, don't have them to hand ATM)

I agree with the comment regarding "know where to look for the detail" but in this instance the examiner may want reassurance that you have read the Honey Regs etc. and understood their implications. It doesn't get examined anywhere else in the Modules and is important, albeit unappealing.

Do not overlook the more interesting aspects of flowers and forage. David Aston & Sally Bucknall's book on plants for bees reads like it was written with the Mod 2 syllabus in mind.

 

[notaeab]

Is anyone working up to the Mod 2 exam in March?

If so, do you have any spare motivation? as I am finding the whole syllabus absolutely dire.

Mods 1,3 and 6 were all pertinant to practical beekeeping, and I found them both educational (the whole point of the exerice!) and interesting.

Mod 2 seems to be an exercise in learning, for the sake of learning.

If I want to know what size print I need for a honey label I will go and look it up as it may have recently changed. As I do not wish to spoil my honey, I always check warming temperature and not rely on memory.

What do other folks think?

i read all the questions that could come up in module 2 and only 6 would make a better beekeeper the others are to*******the ego,s knowing for knowing's sake and i smile writing it "master beekeepers" could in theory become one in 4years and only have one hive at bottom of garden having opened up a hive less than hundred times

 

[Easy Beesy]

As we're in about 2, what the difference between naturally granulated, soft set and seeded?

 

[susbees]

Natural - precipitating (fine) glucose crystals. Attract their mates. Results...rock hard. Excellent shelf life as won't leave jar.
Soft set or seeded - warmed bucket of coarse honey (50˚C) then cooled to 18˚C with c10% of a gently warmed fine crystal honey added at low proportion then beaten lovingly into behaving. Results...no new spoons, not great shelf life.

 

[masterBK]

Notaeab: With one hive beekeepers are not eligible to take the General Husbandry certificate. To be classed as a BBKA masterbeekeeper you have to pass 7 written module exams, the general husbandry and the advanced husbandry assessment. Examiners can easily distinguish answers learnt by rote purely from books (some even quote Yates line by line) with little understanding of what they are talking or writing about from those combining a wide range of knowledge, experience and understanding. The husbandry assessments require a high degree of beekeeping skills.

 

[Easy Beesy]

Natural - precipitating (fine) glucose crystals. Attract their mates. Results...rock hard. Excellent shelf life as won't leave jar.
Soft set or seeded - warmed bucket of coarse honey (50˚C) then cooled to 18˚C with c10% of a gently warmed fine crystal honey added at low proportion then beaten lovingly into behaving. Results...no new spoons, not great shelf life.

Hi susbees
Helpful (and known) but still doesn't answer the difference between soft set and seeded? Is soft set, naturally granulated, that hasn't set rock hard?

 

[Black Comb]

From memory, Soft Set and Creamed are both names for honey that has been modified by seeding.

 

[masterBK]

Soft set honey is honey allowed to naturally granulate in bulk then warmed, stirred and allow to set again. Coarse grained honey can also be turned into soft set by seeding.
Honey with a large coarse crystal is heated to dissolve all the crystals and then allowed to cool before stirring in a seed about 10% of fine crystal honey (like OSR) and then allowed to granulate again.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Yes,

Do not overlook the more interesting aspects of flowers and forage. David Aston & Sally Bucknall's book on plants for bees reads like it was written with the Mod 2 syllabus in mind.

yes just found that one, actually i am enjoying reading it now, much more like the research and information standard needed for module 6 which i enjoyed, I just use Yates for a check list now and reaseach each part of the syllabuds then go to yates, he seems to have lost the plots on some of the recent changes to the syllabus like 2.24 A list of floral unpallatable honey...and the only really relevent bit of 2.29 is the last papragrapgh that refers to centrifuging of honey and gives reference to another of his books that includes nothing about centrifuging

i started to loose faith in him with his Basic book and making frames and shaving off the side hoffman bars and replacing with screws

 

[itma]

... making frames and shaving off the side hoffman bars and replacing with screws

Read that in his "Caveat Emptor".
Has anyone (else?) tried out those prop-reducing ideas in a real hive?
Whatever advantage hardly seems worthwhile ...

 

[Easy Beesy]

Soft set honey is honey allowed to naturally granulate in bulk then warmed, stirred and allow to set again. Coarse grained honey can also be turned into soft set by seeding.
Honey with a large coarse crystal is heated to dissolve all the crystals and then allowed to cool before stirring in a seed about 10% of fine crystal honey (like OSR) and then allowed to granulate again.

Hi mb
Thanks for helping me understand.
What plant/s gives coarse grained honey please? All the honey I've had has either naturally granulated into smooth spreadable honey, or its been runny honey. I have to try to explain this to a module 2 study group!

 

[masterBK]

Easy Beesy : Look up "Dyce process". Bramble (blackberry) and dandelion honies have good flavour but both granulate with a large coarse crystal. For module 2 they will need to know the relevant temperatures eg optimum for granulation = 14 C. Also they will need to know why granulated honey is more likely to ferment than in liquid state. Any specific questions from module 2 requiring in-depth answers send me a pm.

 

[starflex]

Thanks folks, for your thoughts.

I've now read through all of Yates, and I've looked throught the past papers, and can now see some light at the end of the tunnel.

I still think a lot of the syllabus requires nugatory learning. I can, however, now spell hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde, so I am already a better beekeeper!

Thanks for David Aston & Sally Bucknall's book on plants for bees. I shall try and get hold of a copy.

On a much more exciting note, both the nucs in my back garden are out flying. Lots of grey and bright yellow pollen being carried in and no drones seen.

 

[Black Comb]

So you extract into buckets and allow/encourage it to granulate.
How do you tell if it's fine or coarse crystal?