PA Honey Queen Report (November 2019)
  by Kaitlyn Stauffer - 2019 PA Honey Queen

Hello everyone!

Boy what a whirlwind it has been.

November 1st, 2019 was my last event as your 2019 Pennsylvania Honey Queen, but fear not, I promise you will see me one last time as your honey queen! During my reign, I attended 40 promotional events in 22 unique counties reaching over 60,000 people. I gave 11 education presentations to 500 elementary and middle school students. I had a five minute radio interview with over 25,000 listeners. The total value of my media work this year was over $8,000!

Below is a small excerpt from my farewell speech that I would like everyone to see because I can not emphasize enough how much everyone who has supported me this past year has meant to me!

To the PSBA, thank you for welcoming me into your family. I came into this not knowing much about beekeeping, but over the last 8 months I have learned so much information. All the laughs with the crazy bee lady to my one on one dinner with Charlie and the laughs and jokes I had with Aaron. Everyone here will also have a special place in my heart.

This has been by far the best thing that has ever happened to me and I will carry these experiences with me for the rest of my life.

With all that said, I am excited to announce that I will be running for the 2020 American Honey Queen title on January 7th through January 12th, 2020 in Schaumburg, Illinois.

I would also personally like to congratulate you 2020 Pennsylvania Honey Queen Lucy Winn from Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I hope you enjoy this once in a lifetime opportunity. Learn and take everything in, this is going to be a fun ride for you.

So with all that said for the last time, my name is Kaitlyn Stauffer, signing off as your 2019 Pennsylvania Honey Queen.

PA Honey Queen Report (September 2019)
  by Kaitlyn Stauffer - 2019 PA Honey Queen

Well, my year is slowly coming to an end. Looking forward, I do not have many events left but I am enjoying and embracing every moment that I have left.

Queen Hannah at the Parmyra Fair

Candle rolling at the Health Fair

This month began with a trip to Penn State s Health Fair held in Palmyra, Pa on September 7th, 2019. I discussed honey and health and rolled candles with the many children who came to visit.

Queen Hannah visits Bug O Rama.

The following day, September 8th, 2019 I attended the 4th annual Bug O Rama held at the Hershey Gardens in Hershey, PA. All things insects were discussed with fun and interactive crafts at each station. At my booth, I was able to roll candles with the kids and promote pollinators.

Queen Hannah at Fort Hunter Days

On Sunday, September 15th, 2019 I traveled to Fort Hunter for the annual Fort Hunter Days in Harrisburg, PA. I promoted local honey and rolled candles with the kids. I was even given the wonderful opportunity to introduce myself on stage, speaking about my role as the Pennsylvania Honey Queen!

On Wednesday, September 18th, I visited with a youth group located not far from my college in Hollidaysburg, PA. I gave an educational presentation to the kids and everyone took home a recipe brochure and honey stick!

Extraction Demo at th Great Gratz Fair

On Saturday September 21st, 2019 I traveled home to Gratz, PA to attend the Great Gratz Fair! Fun Fact: I was the Gratz Fair Queen back in 2016! The Capital Area Beekeepers Association had a booth set up for me and I was able to assist Gary Karns with a live honey extraction. Overall it was a great afternoon!

Finally, on Saturday September 28th, 2019 I visited with a group of Cub Scouts in Myerstown, PA. After speaking about the importance of honey bees and beekeeping for agriculture, we all rolled beeswax candles together as a fun take-away from the day.

My year is coming to an end, but I still have a full month of potential promotional events. Would you like to invite me to your next event? Get in touch with Alyssa Fine at (412) 266-2112 or honeyqueen@pastatebeekeepers.org to get started.

See you at the PSBA Conference the first weekend of November!

PA Honey Queen Report (July 2019)
  by Kaitlyn Stauffer - 2019 PA Honey Queen

Although I didn't have as many promotional events on my calendar this month, it was still a busy one!

My first event this month was the PSBA Summer Picnic in McVeytown. It was wonderful to see some familiar faces, and to meet so many other beekeepers. There I was able to give a brief talk about my year so far and the promotional events I've attended.

Queen Kaitlyn at Harrisburg University

Every year, I work at two different camps throughout the summer, so from the end of June into the first two weeks of July, I spent three weeks volunteering. The fortunate part was that even though I had no intentions of doing any promotional events, my director asked me if I could be the special guest for an afternoon! On July 19th, I traveled to Harrisburg University where I was invited to speak to 92 students ages 10-16 about my role as the Pennsylvania Honey Queen and various aspects of beekeeping.

Queen Kaitlyn at Olivet Boys & Girls Club

Following that, on On Monday, July 22nd I had quite a buzzy day. First I traveled to Olivet Boys & Girls Club in Hamburg where I spoke to 30 campers about beekeeping and was blown away by how much these kids knew about bees and beekeeping! (Thanks to the makers of the Bee Movie!)

Queen Kaitlyn at the Troy Fair

Then I had the amazing opportunity to work at the Agsploration Day Stand at the Troy Fair! Monday was Bee Day at the fair, and although itwas very rainy I had a wonderful time talking to local beekeepers and what my job is as the Honey Queen. Later on I was able to read an adorable bee book to the local children who were attending the fair!

Keep an eye out on other events coming up! I'll be one Busy Bee. Between all of the great promotional events coming up, I'm also looking forward to move in week when I start my third year of college!

As always, if you'd like to invite me to any upcoming events, please contact Alyssa Fine at (412) 266-2112 or honeyqueen@pastatebeekeepers.org to schedule a visit.

Stay Buzzing!
- Queen Kaitlyn

PA Honey Queen Report (May 2019)
  by Kaitlyn Stauffer - 2019 PA Honey Queen

This is the first month of my summer break and I have been loving every second of it! I have been able to do so many more promotions and discussions about honey and what it means to be the Pennsylvania Honey Queen.

Queen Kaitlyn at the Landingville Community Day

On May 4th, I was able to attend the 1st Annual Community Day in Landingville, PA. I was able to reach over 300 adults and children discussing the importance of honey and honeybees are to the environment. One of the best aspects was that I was able to have a table beside the PA Department of Environmental Services and together we were able to give the community a better understanding of honeybees and their impact. My other table neighbor was a cheese vendor, so during breaks in the crowd I was able to try over 100 different flavors of cheese. I WAS LITERALLY IN HEAVEN!

May 10th, I moved out of my college dorm and officially ended my second year of college! As soon as I was home, I changed and drove to Malvern, PA to talk to over 100 first graders about honey. During my presentations, three brave volunteers helped me by dressing up in a full bee costume, and I was able to receive a lot of feedback from the teacher on how much the children enjoyed my presentation. This truly warmed my heart!

After a week of recovery from moving back home and going back to work, I had a CRAZY two days. On May 17th, I traveled to Mechanicsburg to Sporting Hill Elementary School. There I met one of the most inspirational teachers! I have been able to keep in contact with her in hopes for more events in the future. This was the first event that I had in a classroom with both children and their parents. In this preschool classroom, we read a story and completed two fun crafts. One craft was putting together the basic parts of the bees, and the students picked if they wanted a boy bee or girl bee by cutting off the stinger or leaving it on. This was so cute to see the discussions. Afterwards, the parents and children were able to plant pollinator friendly wildflower seeds!

Finally, on May 18th I traveled to Birdsboro, PA for a For the Love of Bees Celebration. This event is put on in the local library to help the community understand that bees not only docile, but essential to everyday life. There we used recycled egg cartons as biodegradable planters to plant a number of different seeds, completed a fun activity to help explain pollination, and even read a honey bee story!

Queen Kaitlyn at World Bee Day

To finish up the month, I celebrated World Bee Day on May 20th by cracking open a hive and doing an inspection. I m getting better at finding the queen!

This month was by far the busiest month I ve had, and I look forward to more promotions to come! If you d like to invite me to your next event, please contact Alyssa Fine at honeyqueen@pastatebeekeepers.org or (412) 266-2112 to schedule a visit.

Stay Buzzing
~Queen Kaitlyn

PA Honey Queen Report (April 2019)
  by Kaitlyn Stauffer - 2019 PA Honey Queen

The end of March and the month of April definitely prepared me for what the summer is going to be like. Between working with adults and having more in-depth discussions to talking to children about pollination, I did it all! I finished up the month of March with two events.

Queen Kaitlyn at the Patient Family Dinner

First, I attended another Patient Family Dinner hosted by the Central Pennsylvania Kidney Foundation. Here, I was able to deliver a speech on the importance of honey for healthy living! I also created a gift basket full of honey and beeswax products to be raffled off during the event. Later in the week, my very good friend invited me to be a guest speaker at Blaine Elementary School. I was able to reach about 50 students and teachers when I read a book about how a little boy dreamed about becoming a beekeeper. The students loved the book and had a lot of wonderful questions afterwards.

Queen Kaitlyn at the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers

On April 13th, I was able to travel to Pittsburgh to talk to the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers, a Sherlock Holmes enthusiast group of 25 people, about the history of beekeeping and honey production. I was invited to sit and have lunch with the group and had a long and interesting conversation about how Sherlock Holmes retired and eventually became a beekeeper.

Queen Kaitlyn at the PSATS Conference

The very next day on April 14th, I traveled back east to Hershey, PA to the PSATS Conference. Here, township supervisors from across the state met with various groups and businesses to get more information on different products to help improve their townships and help the individuals in charge gain a better understanding of these organizations. This was an event that I benefited from greatly, because I didn t know much about beekeeping regulations and how they might vary from township to township. Learning about the ordinances that are already in place was fascinating. One of the highlights was being able to meet more people who are with the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association.

Queen Kaitlyn attending event at Whitaker Science Center

Queen Kaitlyn at the Earth Day Planting Station

To celebrate both Earth Day and also Arbor Day, I attended an event at the Whitaker Science Center in Harrisburg. In addition to exploring the educational display materials at my booth, I also hosted a planting stations for visitors to plant their own flowers and herbs that are beneficial to honey bees.

My college finals are coming up in just a few weeks, and then I will have a lot more availability to attend promotional events. If you d like to invite me to your next event, please contact Alyssa Fine at honeyqueen@pastatebeekeepers.org or (412) 266-2112 to schedule a visit.

Look forward to next month s newsletter for upcoming fairs, school trips, and more!

PA Honey Queen Report (March 2019)
  by Kaitlyn Stauffer - 2019 PA Honey Queen

Honey Queen with Observation Hive at Phipps Conservatory

Wow! What a month! So much has happened since I was crowned Pennsylvania Honey Queen and I still feel like I am on cloud 9. At the beginning of this month I traveled to Pittsburgh for Honey Queen University where I covered all the material I d need for teaching about honey bees. I learned about the three types of bees, their jobs, and what it takes to be a queen bee (no pun intended well maybe a little!). While I was there, I was even able to do my first promotional event at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. There I visited an observation hive to see the bees close up. After, I toured the gardens and saw different flowers and fruits that bees pollinate. I even was able to get a taste of Pittsburgh after the garden visit at Primanti Bros for some of Pittsburgh s finest, as I was told.

Queen Kaitlyn's First School Presentation

Later in the month I was a little busier! I put my training to the test and delivered my first school presentation. I was able to travel to Lewisburg and teach 40 first graders about honey and beekeeping. This was a great way to start off National Agriculture Week in the Classroom. I was able to work on my own presentation skills and get feedback on what I could work on to give the students a better understanding of honey ad beekeeping

Queen Kaitlyn at Patient Family Dinner

Finally, I attended a Patient Family Dinner hosted by the Central Pennsylvania Kidney Foundation. Here, I was able to deliver a speech on the importance of honey for healthy living! The best thing is, I was able to refer numerous people to the Pennsylvania State Beekeepers Association website! By the end of the day I reached 175 people and handed out about 85 packets for others to look through the website for more information on honey, beekeeping, and incorporating honey in your everyday life.

This has been a fun and very educational month. Wait til next month when you hear about my next dinner event, school visit, and more!

Once I finish the spring semester in school, I will have a lot more availability to attend promotional events. If you d like to invite me to your next event, please contact Alyssa Fine at honeyqueen@pastatebeekeepers.org or (412) 266-2112 to schedule a visit.

Current 'From the Honey Queen' article and detailed contact information available on our Honey Queen Program page.