by Steffanie Lindgren ’10

Bethel University junior Alexa Sorenson is the 2009 Minnesota Honey Queen. Sorenson’s interest in beekeeping was first sparked by her great-grandmother’s name, which was Honeybee. The name prompted Sorenson’s family to visit the honey producers’ state fair booth every year, furthering her interest in the subject.

It was in spring 2009 that Sorenson applied to be Honey Queen. To be considered, an applicant must be 18-21 years old, be single, be knowledgeable about beekeeping, have strong public speaking skills, and be able to devote large amounts of time to their Honey Queen duties.

Sorenson was confident that she could handle the public speaking aspect of being Honey Queen, because of experience she had gained in a Bethel business course. In order to prepare further, Sorenson took a beekeeping course at the University of Minnesota and practiced her public speaking skills by giving presentations to elementary and middle school students about honeybees and the benefits of using honey instead of sugar.

Sorenson was chosen as Honey Queen by the Minnesota Honey Producer Association in July. As part of her duties, Sorenson advocates for honeybees and honey producers, and helps educate the public about colony collapse disorder. “Bees are disappearing in the thousands,” said Sorenson. Possible causes of colony collapse disorder are the current structure of agriculture, the stress on bees when beekeepers are forced to move them, and pesticides.

Sorenson’s favorite part of being Honey Queen has been serving at the honey producers’ state fair booth that initially triggered her interest in beekeeping.

Sorenson has published a pamphlet with her favorite honey recipes. Her favorite drink is honey and tea. Her favorite honey dish is grilled peaches with bleu cheese, honey, and black peppers. She advocates for the health benefits of honey: “Honey is a natural sweetener, so there are no preservatives in it.” She carries Burt’s Bees items in her purse to demonstrate how honey is used in cosmetics.

Alexa Sorenson (right) with her sister and a friend in their beekeeper masks.

According to Sorenson, the most challenging part of her job as Honey Queen is not being from a family of beekeepers. “For a lot of other girls, beekeeping knowledge came naturally, because they grew up around it. But I had to teach myself about honeybees and beekeeping. There is a lot to know,” said Sorenson.

Sorenson is a business major with marketing emphasis and a minor in psychology.