>The problem with Master Beekeeper is the title. Beekeeping is a trade... a Master in a trade > > signifies that the person has mastered the trade. I'm in complete agreement Bill. To be considered as a Master in a trade or competitive sport requires a minimum of 10-15 years of CONSTANT work/practice, and an extremely high expectation that you can handle anything thrown at you with an elegant demonstration of your mastery of the craft. That said, how many commercial beekeepers would be willing to hand the running of their operation over to a Master Beekeeper for a few months? A true Master beekeeper can tell at a glance what takes others detailed explanation to discern. This comes from observant practice--such as that of Langstroth, Doolittle, Miller, etc. And then there is the practical aspect--the ability to run a bee business profitably, being able to quickly recover from disaster, and thinking three steps ahead of others. These attributes take experience--especially rebuilding. A Master makes things look nearly effortless, because he's already seen it all, and practiced how to deal with any situation. I myself have considerable experience with bees, a good grasp of bee science, and have made my living from consistently producing healthy hives for many years, yet would hardly consider myself to be a Master. The title of Master implies mastery of a trade, or in academia, the step between a Bachelor's degree and a PhD. A PhD means that you have demonstrated a required proficiency at the trade of scientific research. Similarly, earning a black belt in martial arts (to the surprise of many who do) means that you have demonstrated that you are a student to finally be taken seriously on the path to mastery. When professional beekeepers hear of beginners enrolling in courses to become Masters, it cheapens the title. No one could possibly master beekeeping without many years of hard experience, recovery from several decimation events, and a history of consistently successful exhibition beekeeping husbandry. Now don't get me wrong--I fully support the educational programs. I just think that the title name above journeyman should be different. -- Randy Oliver Grass Valley, CA www.ScientificBeekeeping.com *********************************************** The BEE-L mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html