Kimberly Pfirrmann-Powell

I took the short course in 2016, though officially started keeping bees in 2017 with two nucleus colonies. Since then, I've learned a lot from my fellow MCBA beekeepers as well as from the mistakes I've made along the way. I currently have four calm hives in my backyard in Silver Spring. I enjoy observing them and all of the other insects that visit my yard when I'm not actively beekeeping. I've done a number of beekeeping demonstrations in the gazebo at the county fair over the years and really love talking to family, neighbors, co-workers, curious strangers and new beekeepers about bees.

In Fall 2020, I served as a substitute virtual mentor for the Beekeeping 101 course and have been a virtual mentor for the following two classes. It's been a pleasure meeting so many club members, providing my perspective and continuing to learn.  I especially enjoy providing hands-on teaching in the beeyard. Seeing new beekeepers independently identify eggs or spot a queen for the first time makes sweating buckets in my bee suit in the middle of July worth it.

David Mecklenburg

David Mecklenburg has been keeping bees in Montgomery County, Maryland for over 10 years.  His interest in beekeeping was sparked while attending college at the University of Maryland College Park when one of his dormmates was taking a beekeeping class and had an observation hive in his dorm room for the semester. His interest was sparked again later in life when the productivity of his home garden and fruit trees started to plummet. He then enrolled in the MCBA beginners class and started on the fascinating adventure of hobby beekeeping.

David currently has a few hives at home in Gaithersburg, Maryland and an apiary in Poolesville, Maryland.  He feels that the best part of beekeeping is that a person is always learning from the bees, the natural world, and other beekeepers.

Eric Eicher

My father had 4 bee hives back in Western PA when I was a boy. Although I never worked the hives with him, I would watch, get stung occasionally and spin honey. So, I definitely had a familiarity with bees if not a practical working knowledge. About 3 years ago my son, Ryan, wanted to get some bees so we bought a nuc. My wife Cindy joined in the fun and 1 hive grew to 2 which grew to 10 and we now have about 50 hives in two yards! I love spending a day in the yards but also enjoy the meetings, conferences, the fair and selling honey. Aside from beekeeping I consider myself somewhat of a business entrepreneur. Prior to retiring a few years back, I started several companies, mainly in the commercial pest management industry. Yes, there is a certain irony to that! I also enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, photography, gardening, woodworking and golf.