EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — Maia Jaycox, the 2017 American Honey Queen, will visit Eau Claire and the surrounding area October 30-November 5. Her trip is in conjunction with the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association’s annual convention at the Holiday Inn Eau Claire South (4751 Owen Ayres Court, Eau Claire) in Eau Claire from November 2-5. During her stay, she will also visit several schools in Eau Claire, Altoona, and Chippewa Falls, speaking about the importance of beekeeping and honeybee pollination in the State of Wisconsin and throughout the United States. On Saturday, November 4, she will be on hand at the Wisconsin Honey Producers Association’s Kids ‘N’ Bees Expo, a hands-on learning experience for children of all ages (1:00-3:00 p.m., Holiday Inn Eau Claire South). The Kids ‘N’ Bees expo is free and open to the public.
Maia is the 19-year-old daughter of Scott and Juli Jaycox of Webster City, IA. She is a sophomore at Iowa State University in the open option program with an interest in biology. She is a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at Iowa State. Maia began beekeeping with her family about four years ago and currently tends to seven hives of bees. As the 2017 American Honey Queen, Maia serves as a national spokesperson on behalf of the American Beekeeping Federation, a trade organization representing beekeepers and honey producers throughout the United States. The Honey Queen and Princess speak and promote in venues nationwide, and, as such Queen Maia will travel throughout the United States in 2016. Prior to being selected as the American Honey Queen, Maia served as the 2016 Iowa Honey Queen. In this role, she promoted the honey industry at fairs, festivals, and farmers’ markets, via media interviews, and in schools.
The beekeeping industry touches the lives of every individual in our country. In fact, honeybees are responsible for nearly one-third of our entire diet, in regards to the pollination services that they provide for a large majority of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes. This amounts to nearly $19 billion per year of direct value from honeybee pollination to United States agriculture
— American Beekeeping Federation
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