New Jersey "Bee Girl" Kaitlyn Culbert honored with Environmental Excellence Award

NEW YORK -- A high school junior from Toms River, New Jersey just received a big honor for her work protecting bees.

Kaitlyn Culbert is on a mission to protect and educate the world about the importance of bees. She has her own YouTube channel called Katie's Adventures in Beekeeping. 

While many of us are scared of the insect's sting, she became fascinated by them at the start of the pandemic when she participated in a research contest for the Army Educational Outreach Program. 

"I created a research proposal utilizing essential oils to combat varroa mites, which are the number one killer of honeybees," Culbert told CBS2. 

Her hive of bee lovers then grew from there. 

"Unfortunately, when I first became interested in honeybees, no one in my family had ever done beekeeping and I had never been around bees. So I contacted the Central New Jersey Beekeeping Association, who connected me with local beekeepers," she said. 

She's now working with Rutgers and Stockton universities to research ways to protect honeybees. She also set up a pollinator garden in Jakes Branch County Park and established a 4-H beekeeping club. 

"I became determined to commit myself to not only my research but also to educating others about one of the world's most important pollinators," she said.  

For all her hard work and determination, Culbert received the governor's Environmental Excellence Award from the Department of Environmental Protection. She was also named the 2023 New Jersey Honey Queen. 

Watch her full interview above for more information.