Annie has been beekeeping in the PNW since 2017. She first encountered the magic of bees as a grad student at the IslandWood masters program in Education for Environment & Community. She kept bees in various friends' backyards for several years before becoming a full-time beekeeper and pollinator educator in 2021. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to train with beekeepers from around the world, and mentor beekeepers across the West, from British Columbia to Southern California to Texas. In addition to beekeeping, Annie loves gardening at her neighborhood P-Patch, hosting events with friends, and snuggling with her perfect cat, Evie.

Niya started working with honey bees in 2020 when she decided to fill her time during lockdown volunteering at organic urban farms in the Washington D.C. area. This volunteer work led her to become a farmhand and beekeeping assistant, where she fell in love with soil and pollinator health. Interest driven Niya enrolled in a beekeeping training course with her local beekeeping association. Then in 2022, she transitioned into a full-time beekeeper. In 2023, Niya moved from D.C. to Seattle, continuing to learn and work with pollinators in a new environment. When she’s not with the bees, Niya practices and teaches yoga around the Seattle area. She also enjoys long walks with her perfect dog, Mantra, exploring the city.

Madison has always loved the critters of the world and nurtured a fascination for nature while growing up in Texas and Michigan. She moved to Seattle to study biology at the University of Washington and, in 2015, stumbled into beekeeping through a summer internship with the UW Farm.  After several years working in research labs and veterinary medicine, Madison made the jump to full time beekeeping in 2022. In the last three years she has delved into the world of pollinators and started expanding her knowledge around wild bees and wasps. In her spare time Madison enjoys cooking, reading, and walking on the beach with her stinky little dog (Mako).

Colin has been full-time beekeeping since 2023, but grew a passion for these amazing creatures during his childhood in Minnesota. Connecting people with nature has been the constant theme in Colin’s work. From guiding canoe trips in Yellowstone and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area to working in farm education at the Dodge Nature Center, sharing a deeper understanding of the connections in nature has been a goal. Beekeeping is Colin’s growing passion because of the unique animal interaction and the fascinating cultural human-bee connections that we have had since ancient times. When away from the apiary, Colin enjoys camping, canoeing, playing in a soccer league, and exploring the many PNW natural wonders.