Individuals must complete seven steps prior to becoming a Senior WHJ. Steps one through six must be completed before the final exam (Step 7) is taken.
To become a Senior INIB Honey Judge, one must attend the YHBI, UFBC, or INIB and participate in specified advanced INIB HJ training. The training can only be given and accepted by a Senior INIB HJ and has been developed to refine the skills of experienced INIB HJs.
INIB HJs must document their experience as a honey show judge at a minimum of three Honey shows with a Senior INIB HJ in attendance. The training must be under different HJs. Opportunities for judging may be available at the YHBI, UFBC, or INIB honey shows, or honey shows sponsored by the state beekeeper associations of Georgia or Florida. Honey shows that candidates have stewarded before being certified as an INIB HJ do not count toward this requirement for the Senior INIB HJ level. INIB HJs must wear proper INIB HJ attire (Appendix C). All judging activities should be documented in the Candidate’s Portfolio of Evidence (see Senior INIB HJ -Step 5).
INIB HJs must achieve a minimum of 75 exhibiting points which are collected by winning ribbons or prize cards at any INIB honey show (Appendix D). These points cannot include the 50 points required to become a certified INIB HJ. The exhibits entered are to be chosen from the list of honey and hive products shown in Appendix G, thereby demonstrating proficiency and knowledge with a wide range of hive and bee products across the show bench. All exhibiting activities should be documented in the Candidate’s Portfolio of Evidence (see Senior INIB HJ -Step 5).
INIB HJs must document all honey show activities in a Senior INIB HJ Portfolio of Evidence. Activities should be documented with 1) completed Documentation of Participation forms (Appendix E) and 2) one additional Documentation of Evidence (e.g. an invitation from the honey show secretary, copies of prize cards, ribbons awarded, photographs of the INIB HJ at an event, sign up list, article about the show in a local paper, etc.). All evidence must carry a signature of authenticity from the show secretary or any show officer. All portfolios are expected to be assembled and presented in a professional manner (e.g. organized by date, in a 3-ring binder with associated pieces of evidence).
The first page of the Senior INIB HJ Portfolio of Evidence should be a Portfolio of Evidence Cover Page (Appendix F) which is a compiled list of the INIB HJ’s achievements and activities. The Senior INIB HJ Portfolio of Evidence will be collected and reviewed during the Oral Exam process (see INIB HJ -Step 6).
The INIB HJ must assemble five honey and hive product exhibits (produced by the INIB HJ) chosen from the list in Appendix H without repeats (e.g. two of the five items cannot be liquid honey). The INIB HJ must then write a critique (maximum of one page per critique) of each exhibit. These critiques must note any faults or problems that the INIB HJ observes with their own exhibits. Each critique will be worth 100 points and individuals will lose points for any faults that the INIB HJ does not recognize in their written critiques. The individual must send their critiques by post or e-mail to the Chief Examiner at least one-week prior to the examination. Contact the hosting organization of the honey show to reach the Chief Examiner. These five exhibits and critiques will be examined and discussed during the Senior INIB HJ Oral Exam (see Senior INIB HJ -Step 6).
INIB HJs who have completed steps 1-6 of the Senior INIB HJ level will be eligible to take the Senior INIB HJ final examination. INIB HJs testing for the Senior INIB HJ level will be examined by two or more certified Senior INIB HJ examiners at the YHBI, UFBC or INIB. Individuals testing for the Senior level must wear the official INIB HJ attire (Appendix C). The final exam is made up of three parts:
- Submission of exhibits: Individuals who are taking the final exam for the Senior INIB HJ, must enter three of the five exhibits for which they wrote critiques (see Senior INIB HJ –Step 6) into the honey show corresponding with their exam date.
- Oral Exam: A Senior INIB HJ will question the INIB HJ who must exhibit competency and understanding of the principals of INIB honey judging. During this exam, the INIB HJ will present their INIB HJ Judging Kit and must be able to state when and how each item is to be used in a honey show. Individuals will be penalized if any items are missing from their INIB HJ Judging Kit (Appendix G) at this time or if they are not wearing the complete INIB HJ attire (Appendix C). Additionally, the INIB HJ’s five critiqued exhibits will be reviewed and discussed. A cross-section of topics will be covered during the Oral Exam to confirm the INIB HJ’s knowledge of the whole range of bee products and bee related exhibits from across the show bench.
- Practical Training Assessment (PTA): During the PTA, individuals testing to become a Senior INIB HJ will be asked to judge honey and hive products; these exhibits may include, but are not limited to, the exhibits listed in Appendix G. Furthermore, individuals may be asked to explain any faults, provide any positive remarks, and complete the judging process for any submitted exhibit. The examiners are free to ask questions related to judging INIB honey shows and about honey and hive products in general.
Candidates must register for the final exam and this may incur additional fees. The oral exams are offered only at the annual or semi-annual honey shows held at the UFBC, YHBI, and INIB.
These six steps can be completed at the candidate’s own pace. Upon successful completion, the candidates will be certified as a Senior INIB HJ by the YHBI, UFBC or INIB. Senior INIB HJs hold the highest rank and are expected to serve as leaders and standard bearers for judging honey and hive products in the UK.
