Allen Hayes, EAS Master Beekeeper
Does your state have enough qualified honey show judges? Are the same people asked to judge year after year? Would you like to know more about how honey show entries are judged? If you answered yes to any of these questions, like we did, I think you will appreciate the following:
In an effort to improve beekeepers’ knowledge and to encourage some beekeepers to pursue Honey Show Judging Certification, The Maryland State Beekeepers Association, Inc. (MSBA) held a honey show judging class on April 16, 2022. The only requirement was that the students be members of MSBA. A fee was charged to cover expenses and so everyone could receive a judging book. The majority of the students that took the class do not wish to become judges, rather they are interested in learning how show entries are judged so that they can improve their own entries and hopefully win more blue ribbons in the future. However, there are some who are quite interested in achieving certification. Our goal was to fulfill everyone’s needs.
The class was an all-day event that was jam packed with expert presentations and hands-on break out sessions where beekeepers learned how to use the judging equipment and see up close how a judge grades entries. The class was limited to 35 participants and was held at the Carroll County Public Library, Westminster, Maryland. This is a freshly renovated facility with four large wall monitors, a built-in audio system and a very helpful staff. The facility was liked by all and the library staff was fantastic to work with. The class was divided into six groups for the breakout sessions. There were six judging stations each staffed by a certified judge with examples of entries, both good and some not so good for comparison. A refractometer and a polariscope were at each station also. The groups rotated to different stations as the day progressed so the students could learn directly from several judges.
Each student was given a copy of the book: A Handbook for Honey Judges and Beekeepers Exhibiting Hive Products by James R. Thompson. Jim Thompson is an expert Honey Show Judge and a frequent contributor to Bee Culture Magazine. All but one of the presenters are Maryland State Certified honey show judges. The Maryland certified judges were: Lindsay Barranco, Mike Doyle, Jim Fraser, Bill McGiffin, David Morris, Cybil Preston and Bart Smith. The one exception to this was Monica Schmidt. Monica has the distinction of winning the Best in Show award for extracted honey first, at the Eastern Apicultural Society conference in South Carolina in 2019. Then in January of this year she won Best in Show for extracted honey at the American Beekeeping Federation Conference held in Las Vegas. As Monica puts it, “I have the best honey in the country.” You can’t argue with that. She stunned the audience when she explained step by step how she prepared her entries. It is a very elaborate and time-consuming process. We are grateful to Monica for sharing her knowledge and experiences. This was the icing on the cake for this class.
Jim Fraser built and graciously donated a polariscope; everyone got one ticket for the drawing. At the end of the day, one very lucky beekeeper got to take this very fine instrument home. The students provided feedback and most wanted more class time especially for hands on judging. This is a lot of information to cram in a one-day class.
This was actually the second time MSBA held this class. It was first presented in 2016 and feedback from that first event influenced how the class was setup this time. We were planning to hold this class in 2020 but the COVID pandemic postponed it until April 2022. Alcohol was not allowed in the building, therefore Mead was neither discussed nor judged. At least not inside.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture certifies honey show judges. This activity is run by Cybil Preston, Maryland State Apiarist. There are a lot of steps one must achieve before applying. Some of those are: you must be a registered beekeeper and have won blue ribbons in both the state fair and a local fair with your own hive products. You can then apply and once accepted you can begin a two-year apprenticeship that starts on year one at the state fair, and concludes on year three, also at the state fair. Over the next two years you assist certified judges at as many local fairs as possible, including the state fair on year two. Then on year three at the state fair, you will be given categories to judge on your own but you will be asked how and why you judged the entries. That is your “Final Exam.”
TOPICS COVERED IN THE CLASS
Judging Philosophy:
Philosophy of judging, taking into account size and prominence of the venue
Refractometers:
Demonstration of use and where to buy
Polarizer or Polariscope:
Demonstration of use and where to buy
Scoring Sheets:
List of the available score sheets, where to obtain copies, similarities in criteria across different exhibits
Honey Containers:
Many exhibits are in containers. How are containers themselves evaluated? (Plastic vs glass honey jars, cut comb containers, honey comb frame holders)
How to evaluate cleanliness, old lids, and damaged or scuffed containers.
Exceptions for first time exhibitors.
Points on improving the entry
Liquid Honey:
Fill; over or under?
Moisture content point scale (introduced in “Refractometers”)
Crystals, lint and debris (introduced in “Polarizers”)
Points on improving the entry
Creamed Honey:
Fill; over or under?
Crystal fineness and firmness
Debris and “bloom”
Points on improving the entry
How I won both the EAS and ABF Honey shows: Monica Schmidt
Common Comb Honey Criteria:
Examining honey comb, whether it is in the frame, sections, cut or chunk.
Open (dry) cells vs uncapped (wet) cells, damp or leaking cells
Centered mid-rib, uniformity, white vs watery cappings
Pollen, travel stain, Braula coeca larvae tunnels
Points on improving the entry
Cut and Chunk:
Whether it is cut square and in a box, or long and in a jar, cut honey comb have common criteria
Square corners and clean cuts
Loose wax flakes
Full measure of comb
Frames and Sections:
Whether it is in a section (square or round) or in a frame (a really big “section,” the criteria are similar, but containers have specific points to look for)
Clean section or frames, not old or propolis covered burr comb
BREAKOUT: Students Judge Honey Exhibits
Students grade exhibits, review grading points with judges and each other
BREAKOUT: Students Judge Comb Honey
Students judge exhibits, review grading points with judges and each other
Beeswax Blocks:
The color, aroma, cleanliness, freedom from blemish and cracks applies to all beeswax categories
Candles:
Molded: What makes a distinctive and outstanding molded candle?
Dipped: What makes a distinctive and outstanding dipped candle?
Rolled: How does one judge something as simple as a rolled candle?
Fancy Wax: What constitutes fancy beeswax as opposed to fancy candles?
Photos:
Elements of composition and technical aspects, treatment of subject, and presentation
Arts & Crafts:
How do you judge completely different objects in the same class?
BREAKOUT: Students Judge Beeswax & Candles
Students grade exhibits, review grading points with judges and each other
BREAKOUT: Students Judge Photos, Arts & Crafts
Mailing Packs:
Can this package actually be mailed? Would you buy it?
Gift Baskets:
Quantity and quality of the hive products versus attractiveness and public appeal
BREAKOUT: Students Judge Mailing Packs and Baskets
If there are exhibits, students will judge the exhibits, discuss with judges and compare with other students
Questions and Review
Judges can review the student scores of the exhibits and discuss how they assigned points, as well as answer questions
HONEY JUDGING EQUIPMENT LIST
Starred items(*) are essential. Remaining items are advisable.
Fair passes and maps*
Maryland honey judging forms*
MDA Maryland honey standards
Refractometer*
Spare refractometer*
Polarizer (spare bulb for polarizer)*
Paper towels*
Corkscrew (for mead)*
Paper or plastic cups for mead*
Paper plates for baked goods*
Knife for slicing cakes*
Digital scale*
Spare batteries for digital scale*
Extension cord (polarized plug)*
Pencils, eraser and sharpener*
Wooden coffee stirrers (for sampling honey)*
Water spray bottle*
Three prong to two prong converter1(A)
Magnifying glass
Ruler
Calculator
Table lamp2
Scissors
Reading glasses
Saran wrap
Scotch tape
Flashlight
Spare batteries for flashlight
Cooler with ice and water
1Some shows are held in old buildings with old electric systems
2A bright light since some shows are in very dark locations
(A)Also known as a grounding adapter
Many thanks to Cybil Preston and Jim Fraser for contributing to this article.
