Pam Hepp started keeping bees in 2013 with MCBA’s very own “short course” (earlier name for beekeeping 101). Inspired by a student in her biology class (she was teaching high school biology and chemistry then), and hoping the bees would help her tomato yield, she got bees. The fascinating creatures hooked her.

Getting involved with the local bee club - Montgomery County Beekeepers Association - made all the difference., providing an invaluable source of information and people to learn from. Pam served as our Outreach Coordinator, Vice President and President of MCBA, and the club representative to the Maryland State Beekeepers Association.  She helped develop versions of both the in-person and zoom MCBA beekeeping courses and is part of the team that teaches the Nucs and Splits class offered by Maryland State Beekeepers Association.  She certified as a Master Beekeeper with Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS) in 2021.  An avid supporter of honey shows and summer agricultural fairs, she sees these events as great ways to spread the word about bees and honey.  Her entries have also earned her a few blue ribbons. Now retired from the National Institutes of Health, Pam moved herself and her bees to Delaware. The bees now reside on their very own farmette. Learning the new forage sources and timing of the bloom in Delaware has renewed her interest in bee nutrition and sustainable beekeeping. 

Pam is active with the Lewes Beekeepers and the Sussex Chapter of the Delaware Beekeepers Association.  She is involved with Sussex County Teaching Apiary, helping to teach the apiary’s queen grafting course, and serves as the Delaware representative to the EAS. She includes beekeeping in her travel adventures, meeting with the Dublin beekeepers while in Ireland and Mammoth Cave Beekeepers in Kentucky. There’s no better way to keep learning.