What makes the 2025 Bee College such a unique and amazing program, is the quality of our local expert speakers. Check them out, learn their background, and get ready to ask your questions this October 25 – 26
Lindsay Chichester began keeping bees six years ago in northern Nevada. She started the Douglas County Bee and Pollinator Club that has about 30 families join annually. Lindsay has navigated bear and cow damage to hives, excessive wildfire smoke, bee evacuation due to flooding, and drought. Despite the challenges, nothing tastes better than honey from your own bees and seeing the excitement on kids’ faces when they are able to get into the hives with you.
Kellie Chichester is a Community Vitality and Health Extension Educator with the University of Wyoming, based in Lusk, Wyoming. Kellie started beekeeping with 4-H members eight years ago. Overwintering hives in Wyoming has been the biggest challenge for the Niobrara County bees. Marketing honey and beeswax products has been the most rewarding part of being a beekeeper.
Walker Bensch is a master’s student at the University of Wyoming working under Lusha Tronstad, the invertebrate zoologist for the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database. Walker’s master’s project examines the role of native and non-native ungulates, such as elk and cattle respectively, in shaping habitat critical to pollinators. Walker conducts his field research at Fossil Butte National Monument, near Kemmerer, WY. His project focuses on ground nesting bees and the effect of grazing and trampling activity by ungulates on their nesting.
Caty Peck is a Certified Master Beekeeper from Draper, Utah. She serves as a Program Assistant with the Utah State University Salt Lake Extension Office, where she supports both the Thriving Hives Beekeeping Program and the Urban Homestead Program. This season, Caty managed seven of her own hives along with fourteen university hives, and next season she plans to expand her apiary and begin raising honeybee queens. She is passionate about pollinator education and community outreach, sharing her love of honeybees with children and adults alike.
As a career educator, Paul is passionate about both learning and teaching. He has been keeping bees as a hobby in Southeast Wyoming since 2015 and has owned and operated Prairie Wind Bee Supply part-time since 2018. Working with breeders and suppliers, Paul sells bee packages, nucs, and equipment throughout the region, gaining valuable insights into beekeeping in the Rocky Mountain area.
David Lewis is a hobbyist beekeeper in Cheyenne, WY. He began beekeeping in 2014 after attending the beginner beekeeper class at the Wyoming Bee College. In 2015, after a challenging first year, he started a support group for beginning beekeepers, which later merged into the Southeast Wyoming Beekeepers Association (SWBA). David is a past secretary of the SWBA and a regular presenter at the Wyoming Bee College.
Patrick Byers, recently retired from the position of Horticulture Field Specialist with the Webster County office of University of Missouri Extension, was born in Nebraska and raised in the Midwest. His educational background includes horticulture degrees from the Universities of Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas. Patrick’s 33-year career touched all aspects of horticulture, and his most recent job focused on advisement to fruit and vegetable farmers with the goal of supporting sustainability and profitability. His passions include bees and beekeeping, berries (especially elderberry), garlic, native fruits and nuts, hops and orchids. In retirement he is developing his own homestead on 24 rocky Ozark acres in south Missouri.
Keith Fielder has had a strong interest in honey bees since the age of six. He has been an invited educational speaker and guest lecturer on apicultural topics at the state, national and international levels. Keith is a Senior Welsh Honey Judge and a Georgia Master Beekeeper. He has served as President of the Georgia Beekeepers Association and was named GBA’s Beekeeper of the Year in 2009. Keith currently serves as Chair of the Georgia Farm Bureau Honeybee commodity group. He is employed by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension as the County Extension Director for Putnam and Hancock Counties, and is a regional apiculture specialist.
Brandon Bryant is a dedicated beekeeper from Worland, Wyoming, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. Working alongside his brother, father, and uncle at Bryant Honey, Brandon plays a pivotal role in the family business. He holds an associate degree in Business from Casper College, which complements his practical beekeeping expertise. Brandon’s beekeeping journey includes valuable experience in Kona, Hawaii, where he learned the specialized art of raising and growing queens. His work in Hawaii focused on the genetics behind producing high-quality queens and the critical importance of keeping bee populations healthy. A significant part of his expertise lies in emphasizing hygienic traits for queens, which is crucial for maintaining robust and thriving colonies. With a strong commitment to advancing Bryant Honey, Brandon continuously seeks ways to improve and expand the family business. His dedication and innovative approach inspire those around him, driving the company to new heights.
Michelle Weschler is a research assistant and invertebrate curator with the Wyoming Natural Diversity Database at the University of Wyoming. She got her start in entomology working on cactus bugs in her home state of Florida and later worked for the University of Florida’s Honey Bee Lab helping manage colonies and create college courses on apiology. She moved to Wyoming in 2021 to pursue her M.S. degree, which involved researching and reviewing how wind turbines influence and affect insects. She contributes to field work, lab work, data analysis and publishing on invertebrate and plant species in the state with WYNDD. She is currently working on curating and managing WYNDD’s collection of preserved invertebrate specimens, including making the collection accessible through digitization and imaging efforts.
In 2014 Ms. Thompson and her colleagues noted that there was little pollinator information that was geared towards Wyoming residents. So in 2017 they authored and published “Promoting Pollinators on Your Place – A Wyoming Guide” http://bit.ly/wypollinators Since that time Ms. Thompson has traveled the state speaking with those interested in promoting pollinators.
Jennifer has been interested in native wildflowers since she was a child roaming the tall grass prairie in the Flint Hills of Kansas. She received her B.S. in Agriculture (Horticulture/Plant Science) from Kansas State University, completed a Master’s Degree at the University of Wisconsin, and worked for 9 years with the University of Arizona before taking a position with the University of Wyoming in 2004.
Her interest in the beautiful but tough plants of the Rocky Mountain region has led to over a decade of experimentation with their use (along with adapted introduced plants) in low-input, regionally appropriate landscapes. Along with her own gardens, which contain over 600 native and introduced plant types, she has helped plan, plant and maintain a variety of community spaces.
