Hiya all, I was just looking through some bee sites and found this one.
http://www.gobeekeeping.com/Test.htm
See how you go.
might be ok if youāre Americanā¦some questions/answers bit old fashioned, ie. clipping Queens wings to prevent swarming
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Hiya Kirsten, I agree it is using that crazy imperial system and dos have some ambiguous questions but thatās pretty standard in bee keeping isnāt it?
What score did you get?
I got 37 in the beginners quizā¦
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42, then I started doing the next one & after reading 1 question 4 times to try & get what they were asking ( I kept missing the qualifier of āshouldnātā, duh), I realised it was 1.30am & should go to bed. 
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Question 4 of 50
What is the correct term to describe the honey bee?
a. Apis mellifera L.
b. apis mellifera
c. Apis Mellifera
d. Aphis Konica
Where is ānone of the aboveāā¦ it should be Apis mellifera (lower case on the mellifera). Turns out they wanted Apis mellifera L. but my bees are notā¦ mine are most likely Apis mellifera Carnica, not Ligustica.
Question 5 of 50
One of the most powerful communication pheromones in bee society is?
a. smell of nectar
b. the alarm pheromone
c. salivary pheromone
d. queen substance
Well, queen substance is one, alarm pheromone is anotherā¦
Question 9 of 50
Of the following which is not an accepted way to get bees out of a honey super?
a. Take the honey super off a hive of bees and set it in the shade so the bees can fly back to the hive
b. Use a honey brush to brush the bees off frames
c. Use a chemical such as Honey Robber
The great beekeeper C.C. Miller would have used the one they want as the ānot acceptableā wayā¦
Question 10
If you move a hive from one location in your yard to another location 20 yards away, you can expect the bees toā¦?
a. return to the old hive site.
b. start looking for the new location of the hive.
c. fly away not to return
d. see the new hive location and fly directly to its new location.
Looks like they want āreturn to the old hive siteā but they will immediately start looking for the new location of the hive.
Question 11 of 50
A virgin queen canā¦?
a. not lay any eggs
b. lay only unfertilized eggs
c. can lay eggs only if mated
d. lay both fertilized and unfertilized eggs
According to Huber and my experience, the right answer is ānot lay any eggsā But Iām guessing they want ālay only unfertilized eggsā which is wrong.
Question 12 of 50
Why is foundation either wax or plastic used in frames in a bee hive?
Foundation gives the bees a guide to help them build bee cells
Foundation will provide a base for the bees to build straight comb within the frames.
beeswax foundation is not necessary because the bees would build comb in the frames without any help
none correct
Well, in my bee hives itās not used quite oftenā¦ so Iād go for ābeeswax foundation is not necessaryā¦ā but I donāt think thatās what they wantedā¦ but itās not clear what they wanted. The main reason for foundation was to get them to build worker cellsā¦ and thatās not a choice on their list.
Question 15 of 50
An inner cover is used in a hive to ā¦?
prevent the bees from glueing the top cover to the hive body and frames in the hive
prevents air from getting into the hive
prevents the bees from attacking when the hive cover is removed
it has no special purpose ā it has just evolved with beekeeping practices
Well, actually itās to make a double wall at the top to prevent condensationā¦ but it also, as a by product, does 1 and 3. Iām not sure what they want. Itās certainly not necessary if you have a flat cover you can get between to pry offā¦
Question 20 of 50
A queen will leave a hive under the following conditions except?
swarming
supersedure
absconding
mating
She will leave the hive in all of the aboveā¦ Iām not even sure what they want. In a superesdure she will have to leave the hive to mateā¦
Question 21 of 50
Which of the following would be the worst time to work a hive of bees?
on a Saturday afternoon when no one is around
when the neighbors are having a party in their yard
when you feel like it, it is your business not anyone elses
just before dark while you can still see
Wow! I donāt like a lot of these. Just before dark isnāt good. When the neighbors are having a party isnāt goodā¦
Question 22 of 50
If you see a honey bee trying to carry a dead bee out of the bee hive, that bees is called?
a hygenic bee
a house cleaner bee
an undertaker bee
a foraging bee
Called by whom? Itās a house bee, of course. But it is currently acting as an undertaker. I donāt think that āundertakerā is an official biological termā¦ also itās hygienic, not hygenicā¦
Question 26 of 50
If you observe a large number of bees in clusters hanging on the outside of a hive, you can expect all of the following except?
the hive is too crowded
the bees have dysentery
the bees could be about to swarm
the weather is too hot
If there are no bees bearding on the outside of the hive during the prime buildup in the spring I would assume they are weak. But if they are on the outside, I would not assume anythingā¦ they MIGHT be crowded, they MIGHT be hot, or it might just be a strong hive doing what bees do. There is not such thing as āthe weather is too hotā. The weather is what it isā¦
Question 28 of 50
A strong colony of bees may contain as many as ____ live bees at any one time during the the peak population period of the season.
10,000
30,000
45,000
60,000
Iād say 100,000ā¦ though 60,000 is pretty common. The question was āas many asā¦ā not what a typical strong hive is.
Question 30 of 50
All of the following are valid reasons to heat honey except?
to help honey flow better
to kill American foulbrood
to kill yeast in honey
to liquify granulated honey
I think there is no valid reason to heat honey. Ever.
Question 32 of 50
How does the stinger of a queen bee differ from a worker bees stinger?
The queenās stingers is not attached to a venom sacs
Only the queens stinger is used to kill other bees
the stinger of both queens and workers are very similar but are used in different ways
the stinger of a queen bee has no barbs while a worker bee stinger does have barbs
Well, I think they want me to say a queen beeās stinger has no barbs, but that would not be true. It has smaller barbs. She will still get it stuck in a queen if she stings another queen because of the barbs, but usually she can work it back out.
Question 33 of 50
Does putting drawn comb in honey supers above the brood nest stimulate hoarding behavior in a honey bee colony?
Yes
No
null
null
I donāt even know what they want, but I would say no. Bees always have hoarding behavior. Nothing you do can stop that or stimulate that. It is their nature.
Question 34 of 50
Honey bees are social insects. What does this mean?
Honey bees get along with all insects.
Honey bees can communicate with each other.
Honey bees live a solitary life
Honey bees live in a colony and depend on each other for survival.
Well, it means a little more than just that they live in a colony. It means they are not Eusocial so they live in a colony all year around.
Question 36
True or False Very young bees have active wax glands and secret wax in large amounts?
a. True
b. False
c. null
d. null
They want b. But I think they do. The great beekeeper G.M. Doolittle would also say thatās true.
"Again, at all times of a heavy yield of honey, the bees secrete wax whether any combs are built or not; and if the sections are all supplied with foundation, and the hive filled with comb, this wax is wasted or else the foundation given is wasted; have it which way you pleaseā¦To show that I am not alone in this matter regarding the waste of wax, I wish to quote from two or three of our best apiarists; the first is Prof. Cook, and no one will say that he is not good authority. he says on page 166 of the latest edition of his Manual āBut I find upon examination that the bees, even the most aged, while gathering, in the honey season, yield up the wax scales the same as those within the hive. During the active storing of the past season, especially when comb-building was in rapid progress, I found that nearly every bee taken from the flowers contained wax scales of varying size, in the wax pockets.ā
āThis is my experience during āactive storing,ā and the wax scales are to be found on the bees just the same whether they are furnished with foundation or not; and I can arrive at no other conclusion than that arrived at by Mr. S.J. Youngman, when he says on page 108: āThe bees secrete wax during a honey flow, whether they are building comb or not; and if they are not employed in building comb, this wax is most certainly lost.āāāG.M. Doolittle ABJ Vol 20 No 18 pg 276
Question 47 of 50
Honey is?
Gathered from plants
Gathered from plant secreations
always collected as raw honey
none of these
Maybe they want ānone of theseā? Honey is made from nectar which is gathered from plantsā¦ so Iām not clear what they want for an answer. Looks like it was ānone of theseā
Question 48 of 50
When buying an existing hive of bees the most important consideration should be?
Is the condition of equipment in good shape?
Is the price right?
Has the hive been inspected for disease?
Does the hive of bees have a new queen and a good population of bees?
Well, I think those are all pretty importantā¦ but then I can inspect it for diseaseā¦
I did the second one (advanced):
Question 1 of 50
The chief value of the beekeeping industry to the U.S. economy is attributed to?
honey production
wax production
venom production
pollination of agricultural crops
Attributed by whom? I think a lot of beekeepers would say honey production. Others would say pollination. Probably pollination is correct, but I donāt think itās very highly valued, itās just a by product most of the time.
Question 3 of 50
Pollen being brought into the hive can be determined to be gathered from a floral source by?
The color of the pollen
Finding the floral sources the bees are working
Checking the color of honey being brought into the hive at the same time the pollen is being collected
Check the ornate characteristics of the outer wall of the pollen grain with a microscope
How do you know the pollen came from the same place as the nectar?
Question 4 of 50
Wind in excess of ____ mph will cause foraging honey bees to stop flying?
15
20
25
30
Iām not sure what they want, but if my bees wouldnāt fly in 30 mph they would not be able to fly much and if they wonāt fly at 25 they wouldnāt be able to fly very often and I had bees in Laramie and if they wouldnāt fly at 30 they wouldnāt fly at allā¦ Iāve watched them at 30 to 40 mph dodging their way along the ground from wind break to wind break going out and then going up and following the wind back. Iām guessing they will say 20mphā¦
Question 6 of 50
In order to have the maximum number of field bees present at the time of a major honey flow, the queen should reach her maximum daily egg laying rate during the _____ week period prior to the honey flow?
5
6
7
8
A trick question I guess. The eggs she is laying will emerge three weeks later and under normal circumstances would be foraging three weeks after that so I think they want 6. But whatās wrong with 8? They might get an extra turnover of brood which could then raise more beesā¦
Question 11 of 50
The total development -egg to adult- in queen bee development times is _____ days
14
21
24
none accurate
Iāve seen it vary from 14 to 18ā¦ but I assume they want ānormalā which would be 16ā¦
Question 12 of 50
Approximately when did a movement begin in beekeeping in which beekeepers were advised to never kill their bees. It was the practice to kill bees in order to harvest honey?
1775 - 1800
1800 - 1850
1850 - 1853
1853 - present
I have a book first published in 1568 in German (Bienen-Kunst) that advises never to kill your bees and that people who killed their bees to harvest honey were not good ābee fathersā. They asked when it beganā¦ so Iād have to say none of the aboveā¦ besides theirs are all ranges of datesā¦ it didnāt began in a range, it began at some time right?
Question 14 of 50
Question 15 of 50
The Africanized honey bee is a subspecies of the European honey bee and is known as?
Apis mellifera mellifera
Apis mellifera ligustica
Apis mellifera carnica
Aphis mellifera scutellata
People keep calling them Apis mellifera scutellata (which is not in their list here as they have APHIS instead of apis) but they are not. They are a cross between Apis mellifera scutellata and Apis mellifera ligustica.
Question 18 of 50
Honey bees are more apt to sting?
slow moving objects
smooth textured materials
light colored materials
sweet smelling objects
I donāt like any of these. Slow decreases their likelyhood of stinging as does smooth moterial and light colors. Bees are not naturally angry at sweet smelling objectsā¦ so I donāt understand why they want that, but since the rest actually DECREASE stining, that must be what they want. Sweet smelling objects may attract their attention but they donāt make bees angryā¦
Question 20 of 50
The inner cove of a hive has several purposes. Select one from this list that is not valid?
Provides an air space under the outer cover for insulation
Prevents bees from gluing the top cover to the frames of the hive
Provides ventilation for moisture to excape from the hive
Serves as additional weather protection
They all look valid to meā¦
Question 21 of 50
Honey should not be used as bee feed because?
it is too expensive
it could spread disease
it may not be available
sugar is better because it does not contain moisture
I think honey is by far the best bee feedā¦ but Iām sure they want āsrpead diseaseā.
Question 22 of 50
A number of factors are responsible for the inhibition of ovary development in worker honey bees. Select the one that does not in the following list?
worker larvae in a queenless colony
a mated queen
presence of queen pheromone
virgin queen
Well, the only one that is of much importance is worker larvae. But all of them do.
Question 23 of 50
Which of the following metals will discolor beeswax during the rendering process?
Aluminum
Stainless Steel
tin
iron
Serious? Only Stainless Steel wonātā¦ well tin wonāt be much of an issue, but iron and aluminum will.
Question 24 of 50
The most serious insect pest of bee colonies in this list is?
wax moth
ants
cockroaches
earwigs
Wow! I would have said small hive beetlesā¦ ants might be my next choice. Wax moths are a non issue in a colony as the bees will remove them all. I donāt know what they want.
Question 25 of 50
The primary location of nosema infection in the adult honey bee is the?
mid gut
rectum
honey stomach
esophagus
Well, since Nosema apis has been almost completely displaced by Nosema cerana and Nosema cerana is NOT an infection of the mid gutā¦ I donāt think the right answer is here, but we will assume itās just outdated information and go with mid gutā¦
Question 26 of 50
The honey called honeydew is collected from?
aphids
pine trees
morning dew on flowers
nectar bearing plants
Iām sure they want aphids. I think pine trees are also in the runningā¦
Question 27 of 50
Young queens ______than older queens (best choice)?
delay egg laying in the fall more
delay egg laying in the spring more
initiate brood rearing earlier in the spring
lay later in the fall and initiate brood rearing earlier in the spring
Iāve actually never heard any of these. I have heard the ācolonies with older queens swarm moreā story, which I couldnāt prove by my queens since many of them are often older (not this year thoughā¦)
Question 30 of 50
Package bees upon arrival should be fed and stored at ____ degrees F. until they can be installed in the hive?
50 - 60
70
75
80
Well Iād be happy with any of those tempsā¦ (farenheit of course) but I suppose 70 would be nice to have. Nothing wrong with 50-60 and that would be prefered to 75 or 80ā¦ but they want 50-60 F
Question 32 of 50
You watch a swarm leave a hive but it returns five minutes later - why?
The scout bees got lost
Weather conditions were not favorable
The queen phermone was missing
The swarm had a virgin queen
I shocked that they think they know whyā¦ my guess is the queen was clipped and couldnāt join them, but there are lots of possible reasons. Sometimes I think it was a queen mating and they never intended to leaveā¦
Question 33 of 50
Female varroa mites survive during broodless periods in the hive by?
burrowing into pollen cells
attaching themselves to worker honey bees and sucking blood
become inactive and go into diapause
feed on honey stores found within the hive
Bees donāt actually have bloodā¦ they have hemolymphā¦
Question 35 of 50
A strain of honey bees that are known for rapidly reducing brood production when the honey flow ceases is?
Italian
carniolan
Caucasian
Cordovan
Wow! I want two of themā¦ Caucasian and Carniolan. But I have to pick one?
Question 37 of 50
The most common race or strain of honey bees in the United States is ________?
Caucasian
Italian
Carniolan
Cerana
Well Italians might have a slight edge, but I would not call it a done deal. There are a lot of Carniolans out thereā¦
Question 40 of 50
Wax bloom can be removed from a candle by ā¦?
wiping with a cloth
placing wax in the sun
Dipping the candle in boiling water
scraping the bloom off the candle
Wow! I thought this was a beekeeping quizā¦
Question 42 of 50
The morphometrics system identification of Africanized bees is done using digitized images of what bee part?
wings
mouth parts
hind legs
width of abdominal sterna
And itās totally worthless since it is not measuring genetics, itās measuring physical size which is determined by cell sizeā¦
Question 43 of 50
A material used for the construction of hive equipment is well known for itās long life and ability to hold paint. Even without the protection of paint it will last for centuries. ?
Spruce
Pine
Cedar
Cyprus
Kind of a strange question. OLD GROWTH cyprus was a very durable wood, but there is none of that available and cyprus is a kind of cedar. Cedar has the same reputation as cyprus. I assume they want cyprus for the answer, but I donāt agree that it is a clear choice.
Question 44 of 50
The first acknowledged work to describe the queen as a female was written in?
1586
1609
1714
1790
1568 is the right answer but the closest they have to that is 1586ā¦ Maybe for once they have set aside their chronological snobbery? Someone actually read Bienen-Kunst? and then got the date wrongā¦
Question 46 of 50
The process of diminishing the cooling surface of a cluster of bees during a cold period is accomplished by?
increasing the amount of heat produced within the cluster
increasing the density of bees in the cluster
increasing the amount of food consumed
increasing the ambient temperature in the hive
Iām not sure I get this one. They will do all of them, of course, but the one that will decrease the surface AREA may be what they are trying to get atā¦
Question 47 of 50
Guard bees at the entrance to a hive distinguish workers from their own colony by?
the behavior of the incoming bee
the secreation of a fluid by the incoming bee
the touching of the antenna of the incoming bee
the odor of the incoming bee
Wow! I would have to say several of the aboveā¦ but I think the biggest is āthe behavior of the incoming beeā. Since Hoopingarner says that a large percent of workers in a hive are not from that hive (they drifted) Iād have to say the guard bees pay more attention to if they act like they live their than if they smell rightā¦
Question 48 of 50
Honey bee pheromones vary greatly. Ovary suppression in workers is controlled byā¦ ?
A phermone that evaporates quickly, waft through the air, and then dissipates quickly
A phermone that is oily and causes long term physiological changes.
A phermone that is extremely volatile and is released by scent glands on very young worker bees
A phermone that is released by older worker bees.
Kind of a strange question. Why not go to what pheromone it is. It is released, not by āvery young worker beesā but by open brood (larvae). But apparently you want to know more detailed properties of itā¦
Question 49 of 50
The minimum temperature for active foraging is approximately _____ degrees F.?
45
50
55
60
I once saw them working quite hard on something when it was sunny, calm and 27 Fā¦ that was not typical though, so I assume they want something more like 50 or 55 Fā¦ Back when I had Italians, I would have said 55 F but now Iād say mine are more like 50 F.
Exactly!!!..
Master:
Question 1 of 50
Most bee books will advise that a beekeeper leave ___ pounds of honey for the bees to use for winter survival?
15
30
45
60
Seriously? This depends SO MUCH on location that itās a ridiculous question. Here where I live? More like 80ā¦ and then it depends on the size of the cluster. Italians? More like 90. Carniolans? More like 60ā¦
Question 2 of 50
The Amrine Formic acid method is used to detect and evaluate populations of which hive pest?
Varroa mites
American foulbrood
ants
small hive beetles
Funny, Iāve never heard of formic acid as a detection methodā¦ just as a treatmentā¦
Question 3 of 50
A hive is identified with positive results to a test for American foulbrood. Which is the best answer?
It is acceptable to wrap the frames with paper, then plastic, and buried or sent off to a landfill
All states accept the use of antibiotics for treatment
There is no cure for AFB so the only solution is burning the hive and bees
The best thing would be to establish an isolated bee yard and treat the bees until you see no more sign of the disease
Every state has itās own laws. This has a mixture of laws and other things. But I will go with the burnā¦
Question 4 of 50
A virgin queen canā¦?
not lay any eggs
lay only unfertilized eggs
can lay eggs only if mated
lay both fertilized and unfertilized eggs
The correct answer is she cannot lay any eggs. This was Huberās conclusion as well as my own observationā¦ but Iām sure they want "lay only unfertilized eggs even though virgin queens never lay eggs.
Question 7
The following floral characteristics are used by foraging honey bees in distinguishing betwen flower species. Select the order that is correct for most important to least important?
a. shape or floral pattern - odor or fragrance - color markings
b. odor or fragrance - color markings - shape or fragrance
c. color markings - odor or fragrance - shape or floral pattern
d. none of these
I donāt like any of them. Odor is, in my opinion, the most important followed by color or shape, but they mixed fragrance in twice in b. and they want a.
Question 13 of 50
Which of the following is not produced from a fertilized egg?
drone larva
worker larva
Queen larva
a worker bee
Well, a diploid drone would be from a fertilized eggā¦ but generally they donāt make it to maturityā¦
Question 14 of 50
If you walk into a bee yard and observe that several hives have been knocked over and brood frames are scattered about the apiary with comb especially brood comb eaten ā what caused it.?
a. A human
b. A skunk
c. Ants
d. Bear
Bear is what they want. Itās at least 500 miles to the nearest bearā¦ In my yard it would be a horseā¦
Question 16 of 50
The one thing you would not do during spring management?
treat for mites
clean bottom boards
remove honey supers
replace a failing queen
Well, if you left a super on, you might pull it offā¦
Question 20 of 50
What is a major reason for a honey bee colony to die during the winter season?
a. Varroa mite
b. starvation even with honey in the hive
c. mismanagement of the hive
d. Very cold temperatures
I would go for all of the aboveā¦ I thought they would want a. but they wanted b.
Question 28
The major chemical component of royal jelly is?
a. water
b. proteins
c. fats
d. minerals
This is kind of a trick questionā¦ yes, itās mostly waterā¦
Question 32
True or False In Full sized colonies that have a queen producing an adeqauate level of queen substance do not swarm?
a. True
b. False
c. click here and you are wrong
d. dido for this choice as well
They want True. The correct answer is false. I can set any hive up to swarm. Many a beginner feeds a package until the brood nest is clogged and they swarm with a brand new queen. Any hive that gets crowded enough will swarm.
Question 33 of 50
Approximately when did a movement begin in beekeeping in which beekeepers were advised to never kill their bees. It was the practice to kill bees in order to harvest honey?
1775 - 1800
1800 - 1850
1850 - 1853
1853 - present
Well, we did this one (and some other ones I skipped this time) before. 1568 at leastā¦ but thatās not on the list.
Question 39 of 50
The normal die off rate for a hive of honey bees with a population of 60,000 bees during the summer would be approximately.?
100
750
1500
2000
I donāt understand the question. In order to be a rate you would have to state the ātimeā. 100 per ??? 2,000 per ??? Based on the choices offered should assume per day? They want 1500. But according to Dzierzon a prolific queen will lay 3,000 eggs a day in the peak of the build up so there must be an equal amount dying, at least by the middle of summer. None of these choices is that high.
Question 42 of 50
Pure Raw Honey is honey that is allowed to haveā¦?
a. nothing added to the honey not collected by the honey bee
b. It makes no difference ā if honey bees collect corn syrup from a bird feeder and take it back to the hive and mix it with nectar ā it is raw honey
c. Absolutely no additives added to the honey either by the beekeeper or the honey bee
d. to be considered pure and raw, honey must contain only glucose, fructose, water, minor amount of organic acids, minerals and proteins
None of these covers ārawāā¦ To be raw it has to be not heated. To be pure it has to have nothing added. They want d. which covers neither aspectā¦
Question 43 of 50
The first acknowledged work to describe the queen as a female was written in?
1586
1609
1714
1790
The correct answer is 1568ā¦
Question 46 of 50
Effective treatment for Varroa mites should be done when for a colony to survive the winter?
a. spring before heavy brood production begins
b. During spring build-up
c. during a strong honey flow even if the bees are putting honey in the hive
d. before winter bees are being produced - late summer
How about neverā¦
Question 49 of 50
The first published account of the drone as a male bees was in?
1492
1586
1609
1714
They want 1609 but the correct answer is 1568.
I thought it was my brain, not a lot of sleep at the moment.
Ok Mr Bush I hear what yourāre saying and thanks, I appreciate it. Thanks also for your fantastic web site, your wisdom and knowledge is a great.resource that you are graciously sharing which is a true testament to your character, your willingness to share a benefit to all bee keepers new and old.
Tests are something that are used in all studies to gauge understanding and is. also a learning assistance with the subject at hand. I appreciate that in different zones different techniques apply however I am unable to find a broad based test, so to speak, that can question my gained knowledge and perhaps guide me forward in this new hobby Iāve chosen to embark on.
Iām sure the creators of this site had th best intentions when this test was created, Perhaps you could you could give me, and our fellow newbeeks an oportunity to test our knowledge? 
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Iām sure they did have the best intentions.
Question 4 of 50:
Actually, the āLā after Apis mellifera has nothing to do with ligustica or any other subspecies. It has everything to do with the person who named the species, in this case Linnaeus. Often the whole name is spelled out, as in Bombus mixtus Cresson, but with Linnaeus, who named thousands of species, the initial āLā is standard practice.
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You are correct. My mistake.
All I do is seem to read about bees latelyā¦ 
Iāve come across some info from NZ. If you want to take an AFB quiz (5mins) here is the link: http://www.afb.org.nz/beekeeper-quiz?__m=119
If you want to watch a series of youtube videos that explain the disease, identification, treatment etc (with a focus on NZ of course) the link to the first video in the series is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViQp92kPr6Y
If you are wanting to learn about AFB you should certainly take a look at the youtube videos (esp #6, #7 and #8)
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