It’s come to my attention that there is a great deal of mis-information being spread about this organization. Where it’s coming from, I can only guess, but it’s high time to put it to rest. I’ll address two of the most dis-concerning rumors I have recently heard below:
“Washington Master Beekeepers is no longer an active organization”
I can assure you, we are very much active. The Washington Master Beekeepers has been certifying over 150 apprentices from a dozen or more organizations for the last three years running. In particular, the numbers are.
- 2017 – 167 certifications
- 2018 – 161 certifications
- 2019 – 156 certifications as of June 1st.
Additionally, recent updates to the booklet and tests have been reviewed and approved. They should be posted shortly for instructors and students to download and use. We are also accepting applications for education grants. Should you have equipment needs for your organization that fall under education, please submit a grant application.
“Certificates from Washington Master Beekeepers aren’t valid”
This is simply not true. There is no official body declaring which certifications are valid and which ones aren’t. As far as credentials go, WMB has the deepest for any certifying body in the state. WMB has 12 master beekeepers working within its ranks as well as dozens of journeymen and hundreds of apprentices and has support from the majority of beekeeping organizations in the state. WMB has up-to-date materials written by master beekeepers within WMB and reviewed by PhD faculty at the WSU apis laboratory.
The members of the WMB board have been involved in beekeeping education in Washington state for decades, and are the authors of both the original WSBA program and it’s evolution into Washington Master Beekeepers. By contrast, the other certifying program has one certified master beekeeper, few participating organizations, the now outdated original materials developed by our members a couple decades back, and is managed and reviewed by very few individuals.
Rest assured, the certificates issued by WMB are quite good.
I hope this puts some of the mis-information to rest. Any questions feel free to write to any member of the board, officers, or myself.
Bob Combs
WMB President
bob@combshouse.com
425 891 2329