Test yourself · Practice Exam

Practice Exam: Are You Ready for the Certified Level?

50 questions, 1 point each. About 40 minutes. Answers and scoring at the end.

This practice exam covers the topics on the Georgia Master Beekeeper Program's published list for the Certified Beekeeper level (UGA Bee Program, 2026), and every ★ lesson in this Course Book. It is a study aid only. It is not the real exam, it isn't connected with UGA, and a good score here doesn't guarantee a pass. The real Certified exam also has a hands-on practical (lighting a smoker, working a hive, identifying tools and equipment); use the skills checklist at the end to practice for it.

Each question shows the Course Book lesson to review if you miss it.

Part 1: The hive and its equipment (lessons 17, 18, 21)

  1. From the bottom up, which order is correct for a standard Langstroth hive? (lesson 17) A. Bottom board, honey super, brood box, inner cover, outer cover B. Bottom board, brood box, queen excluder, honey super, inner cover, outer cover C. Brood box, bottom board, honey super, outer cover, inner cover D. Bottom board, inner cover, brood box, honey super, outer cover

  2. "Bee space" is about: (lesson 18) A. 1/16 inch B. ¼ to ⅜ inch C. ¾ inch D. 1 inch

  3. If a gap in the hive is larger than bee space, bees usually fill it with: (lesson 18) A. Propolis B. Burr comb C. Pollen D. Nothing

  4. If a gap is smaller than bee space, bees usually fill it with: (lesson 18) A. Propolis B. Brood C. Burr comb D. Honey

  5. Deep boxes are usually used for: (lesson 17) A. Comb honey B. The brood nest C. Feeding syrup D. Storing wax

  6. A queen excluder's job is to: (lesson 17) A. Keep robbers out B. Keep the queen out of the honey supers C. Keep mice out D. Ventilate the hive

  7. The hive tool is used mainly to: (lesson 21) A. Light the smoker B. Pry apart and lift boxes and frames glued with propolis, and scrape C. Mark the queen D. Count mites

Part 2: The smoker (lessons 21, 32)

  1. Smoke calms bees mainly because it: (lesson 21) A. Puts them to sleep B. Masks the alarm pheromone and makes them gorge on honey C. Kills mites D. Cools the hive

  2. Good smoke for working bees is: (lesson 32) A. Hot, with flames B. Cool and dense C. Thin and sparse D. Chemical-scented

  3. The correct opening routine is: (lesson 32) A. Open the lid, then smoke the frames heavily B. Smoke the entrance, crack the lid and puff, wait, open, puff between frames as needed C. Smoke only after the bees start stinging D. Smoke the outer cover from far away

  4. When you finish, you should: (lesson 32) A. Leave the smoker lit near the hives B. Put the smoker out completely C. Dump hot coals in the grass D. Refill it with fuel

Part 3: The colony and its development (lessons 6, 7)

  1. Which statement about workers is correct? (lesson 6) A. They are males B. They are sterile females that do almost all the work C. They mate with the queen D. They have no stinger

  2. Drones: (lesson 6) A. Have no stinger, and their job is mating B. Guard the entrance C. Lay eggs D. Make wax

  3. What decides whether a female larva becomes a queen or a worker? (lessons 6, 7) A. The size of the egg B. The food she's fed (royal jelly as a queen) C. The temperature D. Her father

  4. The four life stages, in order, are: (lesson 7) A. Larva, egg, pupa, adult B. Egg, pupa, larva, adult C. Egg, larva, pupa, adult D. Egg, larva, adult, pupa

  5. Egg to adult takes about: (lesson 7) A. Worker 21, queen 16, drone 24 days B. Worker 16, queen 21, drone 24 days C. All 21 days D. Worker 24, queen 16, drone 21 days

  6. Honey bee eggs hatch after about: (lesson 7) A. 1 day B. 3 days C. 7 days D. 10 days

  7. Healthy young larvae look: (lessons 7, 34) A. Brown and twisted B. Pearly white and C-shaped, lying in the cell C. Black and dry D. Stretched out with a dark head

Part 4: Reading the comb (lessons 9, 10, 34, 35, 36)

  1. In a typical brood frame, the layout from the center outward is: (lessons 9, 34) A. Honey, pollen, brood B. Brood, a band of pollen, honey on the outside C. Pollen, brood, honey D. Random

  2. Capped honey looks: (lesson 35) A. White or pale and flat B. Tan and slightly domed C. Tall and bullet-shaped D. Sunken with holes

  3. Capped worker brood looks: (lesson 35) A. White and flat B. Tan-brown, slightly domed, no holes C. Shiny and wet D. Bullet-shaped

  4. Tall, bullet-shaped cappings are: (lesson 35) A. Honey B. Drone brood C. Pollen D. Queen cells

  5. Pollen stored in cells looks: (lessons 10, 35) A. Clear and runny B. Packed and colorful C. White wax D. Empty

  6. You don't see the queen, but you see eggs standing one per cell and young larvae. This means: (lesson 36) A. The colony is queenless B. A laying queen was there within the last few days C. Laying workers D. The colony is about to die

  7. The easiest way to recognize a queen on the comb is: (lesson 36) A. She's smaller than workers B. She's longer with a long abdomen, often with a retinue of workers facing her C. She's black D. She flies away first

  8. Honey is: (lesson 10) A. The colony's protein B. The colony's energy (carbohydrate) food C. Beeswax D. Propolis

  9. Pollen gives the colony: (lesson 10) A. Energy only B. Protein and fat, needed to raise brood C. Water D. Wax

  10. Nectar becomes honey when bees: (lesson 10) A. Freeze it B. Add enzymes and evaporate water to about 18%, then cap it C. Mix it with pollen D. Store it in the brood nest only

Part 5: Propolis (lessons 10, 76)

  1. Propolis is: (lesson 76) A. Wax from young bees B. A sticky resin ("bee glue") collected from plants C. Stored pollen D. Royal jelly

  2. Which is not a use of propolis? (lesson 76) A. Sealing cracks B. Gluing frames and lids C. Feeding larvae D. Walling off dead intruders

Part 6: Diseases and disorders (lessons 53, 58, 59, 60, 67)

  1. American foulbrood is so serious mainly because: (lesson 58) A. It kills adult bees B. Its spores survive for decades and it can't be cured C. It only affects drones D. It's caused by mites

  2. A positive rope test (brown remains stretch into a sticky rope) suggests: (lesson 58) A. Chalkbrood B. American foulbrood C. Sacbrood D. Healthy brood

  3. Sunken, darkened, greasy cappings with ragged holes are a warning sign of: (lessons 35, 58) A. Swarming B. Foulbrood C. A honey flow D. A new queen

  4. If you suspect AFB, your first steps are: (lesson 58) A. Move the frames to a strong colony B. Close the hive, move nothing, and contact your state apiary inspector C. Feed antibiotics D. Ignore it

  5. European foulbrood larvae usually: (lesson 59) A. Die after capping and rope B. Die before capping, twisted, yellow-brown, and don't rope C. Turn to hard white mummies D. Look healthy

  6. Hard, chalky white or black "mummies" on the landing board mean: (lesson 60) A. Chalkbrood B. AFB C. Sacbrood D. Wax moths

  7. A larva stretched out with a dark, upturned head, like a sac of fluid, suggests: (lesson 60) A. Chalkbrood B. Sacbrood C. AFB D. Chilled brood

  8. Chilled brood is usually found: (lesson 67) A. In the center of the brood nest B. At the edges and lower parts of the brood nest C. Only in honey supers D. Only in drone cells

  9. Many dead bees head-first in cells, with no honey nearby, means: (lesson 67) A. AFB B. Starvation C. Pesticide poisoning D. Swarming

  10. A spotty brood pattern is: (lesson 67) A. Always AFB B. A symptom that can come from a failing queen, disease, mites, inbreeding, or queen problems C. Normal in summer D. Caused by too much pollen

  11. The best starting point for keeping colonies healthy is: (lesson 53) A. Treating every month "just in case" B. Integrated pest management: monitor, use thresholds, gentle methods first, labeled treatments when needed C. Never opening the hive D. Buying used equipment

Part 7: Insects you should recognize (lesson 69)

  1. A large black-and-yellow bee drilling a perfectly round hole in a porch rail, with a shiny, hairless abdomen, is a: (lesson 69) A. Bumble bee B. Carpenter bee C. Honey bee D. Yellowjacket

  2. A fuzzy all over, slow, big bee with a hairy abdomen is a: (lesson 69) A. Carpenter bee B. Bumble bee C. Cicada killer D. Paper wasp

  3. A very large black-and-yellow wasp digging burrows in a lawn in midsummer, hunting cicadas, is a: (lesson 69) A. Cicada killer B. European hornet C. Yellow-legged hornet D. Honey bee drone

  4. A large brownish-red hornet with a dull yellow abdomen that often flies at night toward lights is a: (lesson 69) A. Bald-faced hornet B. European hornet C. Cicada killer D. Flower fly

  5. An insect that looks like a honey bee but has two wings, huge eyes, short stubby antennae, and hovers over flowers is a: (lesson 69) A. Drone B. Flower fly (drone fly) C. Queen D. Yellowjacket

  6. Compared with a worker, a drone has: (lesson 6) A. A smaller body B. A blunt, stout body and very large eyes C. A long stinger D. Pollen baskets

Part 8: Pollinator conservation (lesson 82)

  1. Most native bee species: (lesson 82) A. Live in large colonies like honey bees B. Are solitary, nesting in the ground or in stems and wood C. Make honey D. Only live in hives

  2. According to an NC State study, a good time to trim dead perennial stems for stem-nesting bees is: (lesson 82) A. Their first winter, leaving 12–24 inches of stubble B. Midsummer, cut to the ground C. Never D. Early spring, after bees move in

  3. Which action helps pollinators most? (lesson 82) A. Spraying open flowers in the afternoon B. Planting a variety of flowers that bloom from spring to fall C. Removing all bare soil D. Mowing everything weekly

Answers

Show answers

1 B · 2 B · 3 B · 4 A · 5 B · 6 B · 7 B · 8 B · 9 B · 10 B 11 B · 12 B · 13 A · 14 B · 15 C · 16 A · 17 B · 18 B · 19 B · 20 A 21 B · 22 B · 23 B · 24 B · 25 B · 26 B · 27 B · 28 B · 29 B · 30 C 31 B · 32 B · 33 B · 34 B · 35 B · 36 A · 37 B · 38 B · 39 B · 40 B 41 B · 42 B · 43 B · 44 A · 45 B · 46 B · 47 B · 48 B · 49 A · 50 B

Your score

Score What it means (our study guide, not UGA's passing mark)
45–50 You know the Certified topics well. Practice the hands-on skills below.
38–44 Close. Re-read the lessons for the questions you missed.
Below 38 Keep studying. Work back through the ★ lessons, then try again.

Hands-on skills checklist (for the practical part)

The real Certified exam includes a practical test. Practice each of these until you can do it confidently, ideally with a mentor or at a club field day:

Built from: UGA Bee Program, Georgia Master Beekeeper Program: Certification Levels and Related Requirements (Certified Beekeeper practical and written topics, 2026), and the ★ lessons of this Course Book. The official program text is First Lessons in Beekeeping (Dadant & Sons, 2007); UGA's free study guide is linked from the program page.

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