MBP Buzz
Announcing 2023 Spring Beginning Beekeeper Courses
The following local clubs and associations are SCBA Affiliated and are offering beginning level beekeeping classes, many using the Master Beekeeping Program’s 2023 Certified Level Materials. […]
Beginning Beekeeper Courses: Fall 2022
The following SCBA Affiliated Clubs will be teaching beginning beekeeper classes this fall using the SC Master Beekeeper Certified Level Training Materials. Please contact the club […]
Meet SCBA’s New MBP Director: Susan Crook
After growing up in Laurens, SC, Susan received her BS in Biology from Wofford College and her M.Ed. from Clemson University. As a participant in the […]
Announcing 2022 Spring Beginning Beekeeper Courses
The following local clubs and associations are teaching beginning level beekeeping classes using the Master Beekeeping Program’s 2022 Certified Level Materials. This course prepares a beginning […]
History
Classes
The South Carolina Master Beekeeping Program was founded in 1995 through the coordinated efforts of Dr. Mike Hood, Professor Emeritus of Entomology, Clemson University; David MacFawn, NC Master Craftsman Beekeeper; and Steve Genta, SC Master Beekeeper and Sr. Welsh Honey Judge. The program was created to provide students with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to become successful beekeepers and to enable them to share their enthusiasm and knowledge with the general public.
A successful beekeeper is one who can keep their bees alive for at least one year despite the challenges of climate, diseases, and pests. Beekeepers who participate and complete training programs like the SC Master Beekeeping Program are better equipped to meet the demands of modern beekeeping.
The SC Master Beekeeping Program is divided into four distinct levels with each one progressively more difficult than the previous level both in terms of knowledge and skill which are determined through a series of written and practical testing. A key component to the program is the required Public Service of honey bee education to the general public and the beekeeping community.
MBP Manual
Certified (beginning) Level Beekeeping Classes are held at the local level across the state throughout the year. For information regarding classes in your area, please contact your Local Beekeeping Association.
Advanced training on the Journeyman, Master, and Master Craftsman Levels are offered through our state conferences as well as through classes and seminars periodically offered on the regional level. Details are posted under Events.
Active SC Master Beekeepers*
- Larry Coble – Mid-State – larrycoble@bellsouth.net
- Ed Coleman – Lakelands – ahab59@comcast.net
- James Craig – Charleston – jamescraig1952@gmail.com
- Steve Genta – Piedmont – stevegenta@aol.com
- Susan Marie Jones – Lakelands – sj0nes4bees@gmail.com
- Larry Lawson – Lakelands – ldlawson@wctel.net
- Tim Liptak – Charleston – drlipt1@gmail.com
- David Miller – Anderson – davemillerbees@gmail.com
- Glenn Severt – Wateree – GlennSevert@gmail.com
- Rosalind Severt – Wateree – rosalind.severt@gmail.com
- Glenn Tyler – Blackwater – protec@sccoast.net
- Mell Wallace – Lakelands – ratzandcatz@aol.com
*Denotes Active SCBA Membership as of October 2022
Active SC Master Craftsman Beekeepers*
- David MacFawn – Midstate – dmacfawn@aol.com
- Ralph ‘Buddy’ May – Laurens – buddy_may@bellsouth.net
*Denotes Active SCBA Membership, August 2021