PHOTO PROVIDED Cheyenne Bastian-Brown serves as the 2025 American Honey Queen, promoting the importance of beekeeping around the nation.

Cheyenne Bastian-Brown, of Ralston, is this year’s American Honey Queen. She travels across the country educating the public about honeybees, beekeeping and honey through the American Beekeeping Federation.

“I’ve always dreamed of doing something beyond myself,” Bastian-Brown said. “This is one big thing I can do for the agriculture industry.”

The queen’s purpose is to educate and advocate for beekeepers and honey consumption in the United States, according to the federation’s website.

The federation felt Bastian-Brown embodied the qualities of the American Honey Queen. Anna Kettlewell, the program’s committee chairperson, wrote in an email that a candidate’s enthusiasm for agricultural education, good communication skills and love for bees impressed the judges.

“We value a passion for learning and an ability to learn about our industry,” Kettlewell said. “Our representatives are well-spoken, passionate promoters of our products.”

Bastian-Brown trained for the role in Wisconsin. One of her first engagements as queen, she attended the Florida State Fair. She shared the importance of honeybees to fairgoers and connected with local beekeepers.

“It’s awesome to go somewhere new and learn about their honey,” she said. There are more than 300 unique types of honey in the United States. Each flower’s nectar gives the honey its distinct flavor.

She also gives school presentations to students of all ages on the lifecycle of the honeybee, crop pollination, how bees make honey and what beekeepers do.

The American Beekeeping Federation provides educational materials, including fun facts about honeybees. Some are that honeybees pollinate around one-third of the food eaten in the United States, honey is the only food made by insects that humans can eat and the Pennsylvania crops that are pollinated by honeybees are apples, blueberries and pumpkins.

According to the American Honey Queen’s program website, Buzzing Across America, there are lesson plans with interactive worksheets and crafts. One involves making a clay bee bath to help hydrate bees during hot summer days.

Bastian-Brown is set to graduate this spring from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in agricultural and extension education. Her role as the American Honey Queen allows her to apply what she learned in the classroom.

“I’m putting into action the skills I’ve tried to grow over the last few years,” she said.

With her degree, she hopes to better educate people about where their food comes from and that honeybees make an abundance of produce possible. Honeybee pollination contributes over $16 billion to the agricultural economy, she said.

“My dream is to establish agricultural education in elementary schools, like they have in other states,” she said.

Agricultural education brought her to this pinnacle point in her life. Her interest in bees began at Canton Area High School’s, where she was involved in the Future Farmers of America program.

She did honeybee research by meeting local beekeepers. Learning about how vital bees are to the ecosystem, piqued her interest.

“They’re tiny but make a big impact,” she said.

One day, she hopes to have her own hive and become a beekeeper.

Concerns about honeybee and native bee populations have been going on for years. To help support these essential insects, there are a few simple actions Bastian-Brown recommends.

Planting native wildflowers that are suitable for the region will attract more pollinators, she said. Seed mixes can be found at local gardening centers and feed stores.

“No Mow May” is a movement that encourages people not to mow their lawns until the last week of May.

“It allows bees time to pollinate dandelions, which gives them food to eat as they enter the summer season,” she said.

For more information, please visit the American Beekeeping Federation website, abfnet.org or buzzingacrossamerica.com.

To schedule the American Honey Queen to speak at your school or group, please email Kettlewell at honeyqueen99@hotmail.com.