The members of the Washington State Master Beekeepers Association met on 11 Dec, 2024 for our annual meeting. Officers were nominated and the vote was unanimous. New board members were elected. The new officers and board members are listed under the ‘About’ button.
Please join us online for our annual (covid-delayed) general membership meeting. Connection details and meeting agenda below.
Meeting will begin at 1:00 for meet and greet, socializing etc. It’s been awhile since we’ve all had a chance to chat with COVID and all. Meeting will open at 1:30
Topic: Washington Master Beekeepers
Time: Jan 9, 2021 01:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86905234794
Meeting ID: 869 0523 4794
Passcode: honey
One tap mobile
+12532158782,,86905234794# US (Tacoma)
+13462487799,,86905234794# US (Houston)
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 869 0523 4794
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kcNaoB6e3N
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.
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
A new revised version of the apprentice booklet is available for download. On the materials page. Link below.
Washington Master Beekeepers are proud to announce a national honor received by our students Dan & Janet Hill of the LaCrosse Neighborhood in Renton, WA. Their community project has been nominated for the National Neighborhood of the Year Award. Being one of three finalists is due to their development of a community garden and enriching with honey bee hives with the goal of bee restoration, education, and awareness project. They will be presenting this project at the annual NUSA (Neighborhoods, USA) conference May 24-27th. We wish them the best of luck and hope that they bring home first prize for this endeavor. Other groups in Washington State is interested in replicating this type of community involvement can contact Andy Matelich at andymatelich@hotmail.com or by calling or texting at 253-683-0789.
Well, it’s no secret that the relationship between WSBA (Washington State Beekeepers Association) and WMB (Washington Master Beekeepers) is not on good terms. In general, WMB holds no ill-will toward WSBA and wishes to move forward on its own. Unfortunately, the same can not be said of WSBA. You may have read some recent statements in the WSBA May Newsletter from the WSBA president regarding illegally obtained data and infringement on intellectual property, likewise more claims regarding legal action have been made. Let me address these claims and put them to rest.
1) WMB is not in possession of any materials or property from WSBA. This includes data, booklets, copyrighted material, or physical equipment. These items were surrendered in their entirety last July out of courtesy to WSBA. Additionally, all private copies were deleted as requested.
2) While it’s true that WSBA is still attempting to pursue legal action, WMB (through its legal counsel) has responded to each of the claims and we consider each matter to be fully addressed and closed.
It saddens me that WSBA has stooped to the level of misrepresenting this organization and its officers over what seems to be some kind of personal issue on the part of its president. If any more news continues on this front, I’ll be sure to address it here.
Additionally, WSBA is claiming full credit for the Prison Education program. For those instructors associated with WMB, and teaching the WMB curriculum inside the WA prison system, rest assured that Washington Master Beekeepers recognizes your efforts.
For now, WMB is moving _forward_ with all the work before it. Hopefully, having to look backward is no longer necessary.
President
Bob Combs
The Apprentice book is now complete with chapters 1-12 available. It still needs review and editing. In the meantime, feel free to distribute and use the text as-is. Updated apprentice test to follow.
Chapters 1-7 of the apprentice booklet are now available in the resources section. Integrating 8 & 9 shortly.
Ok, so the website is up. Lots of content to add, and we certainly need to complete the apprentice booklet. But, we’ve got enough to get all the instructors on board. If you’re not listed in the members page, please let me know. We need to keep that accurate.
