Curiously absent from anything I was able to find online about the Apprentice Level exam of the Texas Master Beekeeper program was an explanation of the format of the testing day. In this post I won’t divulge any of the content of the test at all. It just would have been helpful to me to […]
Study Guide: Deformed Wing Virus
Still studying for the Apprentice Beekeeper Exam! Previous Study Guide Posts: American FoulbroodEuropean FoulbroodNosemaChalkbroodSacbroodParasitic Mite Syndrome Finally! A disease that can’t be mistaken for half a dozen other diseases! The name is fairly self explanatory. According to the Texas Apiary Inspection Service, symptoms include “twisted, shriveled wings, bloated abdomens, decreased body size, and discoloration”. Like […]
Study Guide: Parasitic Mite Syndrome
Our study session marches onward. Here is the study guide for the apprentice level exam for the Texas Master Beekeeper Program. Previous Study Guide Posts: American Foulbrood European Foulbrood Nosema Chalkbrood Sacbrood What causes PMS isn’t really known. What is true, though, is that this disease is correlated with the presence of Varroa mites. So, […]
Study Guide: Sacbrood
Studying continues for the Apprentice Beekeeper Exam. Here is the study guide. Previous articles in this series include: European Foulbrood, American Foulbrood, Nosema and Chalkbrood. Next on the hit parade of bee diseases is Sacbrood. Fortunately this one isn’t as disasterous as the others we’ve studied so far. Sacbrood is caused by a virus that […]
Study Guide: Chalkbrood
The fourth honey bee disease on the list for the Apprentice Level Exam for the Texas Master Beekeeper Program is Chalkbrood. Chalkbrood isn’t as scary as American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood and Nosema. Chalkbrood is a fungal disease. There isn’t really a treatment for it, but the bees usually get rid of it through their normal […]