Robyn Underwood

PhD, Extension Educator - Apiculture

Robyn received her BSc in Entomology and Applied Ecology from the University of Delaware and her PhD in Entomology from the University of Manitoba. As a Penn State Extension Educator, she creates and edits educational materials, webinars, and workshops including intermediate and advanced beekeeping content.

Her research program focuses on honey bee health and practical beekeeping considerations. Specifically, she is studying the impacts of honey bee colony management and queen origin on colony health and productivity. Her ongoing projects include experiments that assess the practical implications of different types of beekeeping philosophies, performance of honey bee queens from various genetic lines, and how different types of feed impact honey bee health. These ongoing projects have been extramurally funded (totaling almost $3 million) and have generated several extension product outputs.

Robyn's research and extension aspirations work hand in hand. Conducting scientifically sound research projects to study beekeeper-applied questions is critically important. Bringing the results of the projects to the beekeepers through extension products then improves the industry while making beekeeping a more successful venture.