Kaitlyn Culbert

Toms River, New Jersey

Using science and communication to protect pollinators

More About Kaitlyn

Kaitlyn Culbert’s fascination with honeybees was first piqued in eighth grade when she completed a science contest in which she investigated whether essential oils could help deter varroa mites — the number-one killer of honeybees. Since then, she has been on a mission to address the various threats facing pollinators and inspire others to take action.

As the leader of Ocean County, New Jersey’s first 4-H beekeeping club, she introduced young people to beekeeping and the importance of pollinator conservation. She also served as New Jersey’s Honey Queen and the National 4-H Pollinator Week Ambassador, traveling throughout the state to speak at schools, fairs and festivals about the importance of pollinators to foods systems and healthy ecosystems.

Culbert’s research has been central to her advocacy. As a high school student, she published a study in Harvard’s Journal of Emerging Investigators that found a correlation between greater access to native plants and improved honeybee health and survival. These findings inspired her to create a State-by-State Native Plant Compendium of local native plants in all 50 states and encouraging young people to plant them.

In 2023, she worked with New Jersey legislators to create the “Parks, Plants, and Pollinators” bill that would prohibit the planting of non-native species in state parks and forests. The bill has been introduced into both the New Jersey State Assembly and Senate. During a 2025 internship with the US House of Representatives, Culbert also introduced a congressional bill that would ban neonicotinoids, a class of insecticides, on federal lands.