AgriLife Extension welcomes beekeeping expert
What worker bee Monica Siwiak is bringing to her new colony
Monica Siwiak, a self-proclaimed honey nerd, began her beekeeping journey 10 years ago. Now she’s bringing her expertise to the growing Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service beekeeping program.
Siwiak has made a name for herself as the Lone Star State’s first and only nationally certified honey judge and is a Level 2 honey sensory analyst, pursuing her sommelier certification. Recently joining AgriLife Extension as a program specialist in the Texas A&M Department of Entomology and based in Rosenberg, she plans to use her apiculture expertise to sweeten beekeeping and honey education and appreciation across Texas.
Growing the apiculture program
Texas has seen a surge in interest in beekeeping in recent years, prompting the Texas Legislature, with support from the Texas Beekeepers Association, to fund an expanded, statewide apiculture program within AgriLife Extension.
Garett Slater, Ph.D., AgriLife Extension statewide honey bee specialist in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology, was hired in 2024 to lead that effort from the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Overton.
The program has continued to grow to meet demand from both hobbyist and commercial beekeepers across the state. Siwiak’s addition extends that reach and the program expertise built to serve Texas beekeepers.
Siwiak shared her journey to her new position and how she hopes to help honey producers across the state.
What’s the buzz with Monica Siwiak
How did you enter the honey bee world?
I was a business and marketing major turned oil and gas piping designer who was looking for a stress-relieving hobby. My parents purchased 25 acres around the same time and, like a lot of Texans, were considering an alternative to their agricultural tax exemption. The adventurist in me saw honey bees and thought, “Honey bees? That sounds scary and exciting — I’d like to give it a try.”
I found a mentor at a local beekeeping meeting, and before I knew it, I’d ordered a bee suit and was standing in his bee yard. When I opened that hive and pulled out a frame for the first time, it was an entirely different world. The bees weren’t aggressive; they were just busy living life. My fascination began that day about 10 years ago, and I quickly enrolled in AgriLife Extension’s Texas Master Beekeeper Program.
How did your honey hobby escalate?
I took my first crop of honey into the office and established regular buyers. I tried my luck at some Texas Beekeepers Association honey shows and won my first blue ribbon in 2017. Touched that the judges saw something special in my honey, I enrolled in a Welsh Honey Judging program in 2019 to learn more. Between then and becoming the first nationally certified honey judge in Texas in 2023, I traveled around the nation competing and assisting judges at other honey shows.
You’re a Level 2 honey sensory analyst. Tell me more.
During my travels across the country to become a honey judge, I learned how geology, geography and climate can impact floral sources and honey flavors. But in the shows, honey is judged on marketability and what’s within the producer’s control — how clean the jar is, clarity and lack of debris in the honey.
So, I appreciated varying flavors but wasn’t evaluating them. My curiosity led me to the honey sommelier course certified through the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey. I’m currently Level 2 certified, which means I can identify 18 honey sources from Italy based on smell and taste in their pure state or blended with other honeys.
To pass the Level 3 exam, I must be able to identify the core Italian honeys through various exercises like aroma only, percentages within blends and defects in the honeys. All honey samples are presented in a wine glass and sometimes modified visually so the participant relies only on smell and taste for identification.
You recently joined AgriLife Extension as an apiculture specialist. How did that happen?
With rising demand for honey, I eventually bought more hives, increased production and founded Houston Bee Rescue. I worked my oil and gas job by day, did bee removals at night, and judged honey shows most weekends, so I decided to quit my day job and focus on Houston Bee Rescue.
I’d crossed paths with Dr. Slater, who is a well-respected researcher in the beekeeping world, many times through Texas Beekeepers Association events. An opportunity opened for me to join his AgriLife Extension honey bee team because of the growing interest in beekeeping around the state. This is my dream job — my entire day revolves around bees and honey.
How do you hope to help Texans in your new role?
My areas of expertise are honey and products from the hive, so I help Texas beekeepers connect with and educate consumers about their honey. I enjoy teaching good honey harvest practices and give producers tools and ideas to increase their marketability of their products. Texas honey is truly unique. Every jar reflects the beekeeper who produced it and the diverse Texas landscape from which it came, resulting in distinctive aromas, flavors and characteristics shaped by geography and floral sources.
My goal is to help Texas beekeepers better understand and appreciate the exceptional honey they produce, recognize its value as a gourmet agricultural product, and give them the knowledge and language to share that story with their customers.
I also hope to increase beekeeper collaboration to provide expanded offerings of delicious honeys for Texans to enjoy.
Want to learn more about beekeeping?
Are you new to the wonderful world of beekeeping or perhaps a seasoned beekeeper hoping to hone your honey-production skills? Check out AgriLife Extension’s Texas Master Beekeeper Program.
