Becoming A Beekeeper

Hi everyone! My name is Morgan and I am a senior Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication major with a focus on leadership and a minor in Insect Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I grew up in a small town about an hour away from Lincoln, NE. I never thought I would have an interest in agriculture until I chose, on a whim, to go to an FFA meeting my freshman year of high school.

I have lived in my small town my entire life and I really didn’t have much background in the agricultural industry. I first became involved in leadership event and public speaking events in FFA. My first speech I gave was on honeybees and colony collapse disorder. This speech sparked an interest in bees for me. By my sophomore year of high school, I had purchased two hives and began my own backyard beekeeping business. I was fascinated with the movement of the bees, their resilience, and their social organization. My beekeeping business became a family business and something we were all excited about! We quickly became the local beekeepers in my small town and whenever someone had a question about bees or had bees in a tree in their backyard, or wanted to buy some local honey, they came to my family.

I brought this passion for insects with me to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and I was excited to declare a minor in Insect Sciences. I have had the chance to not only expand my understanding of a variety of insects but also a growth in my appreciation of insects that aren’t black and yellow with honey producing powers.