Bonus Short - 2026 Midwest Honey Bee Expo – Part 3

Stephanie Slater, chairperson of the Midwest Honey Bee Expo Honey Show, reveals how she transformed a modest honey competition into a rapidly growing event with nearly double the entries in just one year. She shares the meticulous prep work behind the scenes—six-month rule timelines, category planning, and the surprisingly intense process of cleaning pollen to remove bee legs. The black jar contest, where honey is judged solely on flavor, emerges as a standout honor that beekeepers can leverage in marketing. Meanwhile, Isabel Derby-Wright and Jessica Helgen from the University of Minnesota’s Bee Squad highlight their mission to bridge academic research with real-world beekeeping through outreach, education, and community-building. They emphasize the critical gap between university resources and practical access, advocating for more direct, human-centered support. Their work includes tracking bee genetics across the Twin Cities, mentoring new beekeepers, and fostering connections among hobbyists, veterans, and commercial beekeepers—proving that science thrives best when it’s shared face-to-face.