Education

Basic Assessment/Certificate

There are numerous education opportunities for new and experienced beekeepers and we encourage our members to attain BBKA beekeeping qualifications.

A good starter is The Basic Assessment exam – also called the Basic Certificate. This exam is for those beekeepers who have kept bees for at least one year. It is the first of many BBKA exams which can be taken and the idea is to give all beekeepers a measure of their achievement in the basic skills and knowledge of looking after bees.

Below is an overview of all possible exams and shows where the Basic Assessment/Certificate fits within the overall BBKA exam structure.

If you are a member of ADBKA, you will have access to the “BBKA Member hub” within the BBKA website. In there you will find a lot of very useful information within the Exam and Assessments section. One such item is the 2026 Basic Assessment syllabus and information pack and for ease we have included a link to this below.

2026 Basic Assessment syllabus and information pack

It is very detailed and should answer any queries you may have.

What happens next

If you are interested in taking the Basic Certificate would you please contact the Secretary in the first instance but please do so by February 28th 2026 at the latest.

By telling us before February 28th, 2026 we can then assess if there is sufficient interest.

Hopefully there will be sufficient interest and ADBKA will then be able to consider all that is needed for the exam before the closing date for the exam application process with BBKA of 30th April 30 2026.

And finally……. anyone who has already done the above exam and wishes to go onto the next stage, again please contact the Secretary should you need any help.