---

Cameron Jack 
Assistant Professor
cjack@ufl.edu

Dr. Cameron Jack is an Assistant Professor in the Entomology and Nematology Department at the University of Florida. Cameron seeks to improve the beekeeping industry through both instruction and research. He teaches many courses related to beekeeping and honey health, training students to become successful beekeepers and supporting the industry. Cameron supports both graduate and undergraduate students with their research questions to enable others to contribute to the overall body of scientific knowledge. His primary research efforts are focused on honey bee toxicology and epidemiology.

---

 

Amy Vu 
State Specialized Extension Agent II, Apiculture
amy.vu@ufl.edu

Amy Vu is the UF/IFAS State Specialized Extension Agent II for the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab, where she oversees the lab’s honey bee Extension activities. She runs the University of Florida Master Beekeeper Program, the University of Florida Bee Colleges, UF/IFAS Honey Bee Blog, speaker requests, media inquiries, the lab's social media pages, and is the co-host of the lab’s podcast “Two Bees in a Podcast”. Vu's Extension programming focuses on 1) improving the apiculture industry through honey bee health and beekeeping entrepreneurship education and 2) building competencies of apiculture instructors through honey bee education. Amy has an undergraduate degree in Agronomy with an emphasis on Soils and Environmental Science from Kansas State University and a master's degree in Agricultural Leadership and Community Education from Virginia Tech. Before joining the HBREL, she was Orange County Extension's urban horticulture agent and Master Gardener coordinator. Amy started keeping bees in 2013 in Blacksburg, Virginia, where her passion for honey bees began.

---

Mary Bammer
Instructional Designer
bammerma@ufl.edu

Mary Bammer is an education specialist for the UF/IFAS HBREL, where her primary role involves helping beekeepers “level up” their operations from a hobby to a business. She also develops training materials for veterinarians working in the beekeeping industry and she manages the HBREL’s online Extension courses, including the UF/IFAS Master Beekeeper Program and the bee-Learning Short Courses. Bammer has a Master’s degree in Extension Education and a graduate certificate in Online Teaching and Learning.

---

 

Chris Oster
Lab Manager
osterc96@ufl.edu 

Chris Oster is the Lab Manager for the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. In this position he oversees all of the day-to-day operations that help to keep the lab running including procuring materials to be used in research, coordinating between HBREL and outside vendors, coordinating volunteers, and maintaining lab equipment. Oster graduated from the University of Florida with a degree on Environmental Science, where he was introduced to honey bees through volunteering at the HBREL. 

---

 

Josh Packard
Lab Beekeeper
j.packard@ufl.edu

Josh Packard is the beekeeper for the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. He started beekeeping with two colonies in 2022 as a hobby and quickly fell in love with it. He joined the Pinellas Beekeepers Association who helped him gain the knowledge and experience to raise healthy honey bee colonies. After growing his initial colonies to 60 and starting a beekeeping business, he has joined HBREL to work towards bettering honey bee health.

---

 

Natalie Parkell
Extension Program Coordinator
Natalie.parkell@ufl.edu 

Natalie Parkell is the Extension Program Coordinator for the Honey Bee Research & Extension Lab. Her responsibilities include event planning, science communication, extension outreach, and other administrative projects. Natalie has served UF/IFAS Extension as a county 4-H agent, a regional food systems specialist with the Family Nutrition Program, and a program assistant at NFREC-Suwannee Valley. She hopes to bring honey bee education to youth and adults all over the world.

---

Devan Rawn
Lead Field Technician
Devan.Rawn@ufl.edu 

Devan Rawn joined the HBREL in 2022 and now serves as lead field technician. His work focuses on research in honey bee nutrition, control of Varroa, and queen rearing. Devan comes from Ontario, Canada, where he received a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Guelph. He was previously a technician with the Ontario Beekeepers’ Association Technology Transfer Program, a commercial beekeeper producing queens and honey, and has taught at Niagara College Canada’s commercial beekeeping program. Understanding honey bees in a warmer climate is a challenge Devan has fully embraced.

---

 

Ayla Babanikos
Videographer
ababanikos@ufl.edu

Ayla Babanikos is the Videographer for the Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. Blending her love of filmmaking with science communication, Ayla’s responsibilities include generating content ideas, researching topics related to their corresponding videos, planning and organizing video shoots, manning the camera, and editing videos. Her goal is to provide a source of information for beekeepers and bee enthusiasts alike with credible and interesting content. Ayla graduated from the University of Florida with her undergraduate degree in Media Production, Management and Technology, specializing in Digital Film/Television Production.

---

Kaylin Kleckner
Graduate Student
kaylin.kleckner@ufl.edu 

Kaylin Kleckner is a PhD student at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. She joined HBREL in 2018 while completing her B.S. in Entomology and Nematology. Kleckner conducted toxicology research evaluating potential chemical controls for Varroa and small hive beetles. As a field technician, she assisted in colony management, design of field studies, and data collection.

---

 

Louise Petit
Graduate Student
louise.petit@ufl.edu

Louise Petit is a PhD student at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory. Introduced to HBREL as a visiting scholar during her master's in Bioengineering degree in France, she is interested in honey bee toxicology research. Her graduate project focus is on Varroa destructor control.

 

---

 

Alexis Masnjak
Graduate Student
AMasnjak@ufl.edu

Alexis Masnjak is a PhD student at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. Her research focuses on Ascosphaera apis, the fungal pathogen responsible for chalkbrood, a disease that affects honey bee colonies. Alexis has a background in microbiology and molecular biology. Prior to joining HBREL, she earned an MS in Biology from the University of South Florida, where her research centered on behavior and gene expression in Hymenoptera.

---

Julia St. Amant
Graduate Student
Jstamant1@ufl.edu

Julia St. Amant is a graduate student at the Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory. Introduced to HBREL as a volunteer, she then became the lab technician conducting honey bee research on control for Varroa destructor and other pests and pathogens. She graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, a Minor in Entomology and Nematology, and a Minor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation.

---

 

Marie Yanchak
Graduate Student
marie.yanchak@ufl.edu

Marie Yanchak is a master's student at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. Marie has a background in commercial beekeeping and joined HBREL in 2024 after completing a B.S. in both Entomology and Agricultural Leadership & Development at Texas A&M University. Marie’s graduate research with Dr. Cameron Jack focuses on optimizing current methods of oxalic acid application for the control of Varroa destructor.

---

 

Dr. Lena Barascou
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
LenaBarascou@ufl.edu

Dr. Lena Barascou is a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. She joined HBREL in January 2024 after her first post-doc position in France. She did her PhD at the University of Avignon in France on the assessment of pesticides' effects on honey bees. Her project at HBREL is to evaluate the non-target impacts of mosquito larvicides and adulticides to Florida honey bees (Apis mellifera) with Dr. Cameron Jack.

---

 

Dr. Kaitlin R. Deutsch
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
KRDeutsch@ufl.edu

Dr. Kaitlin Deutsch is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Florida Honey Bee Research and Extension Lab. She is currently investigating the utility of environmental DNA (eDNA) and RNA (eRNA) in detecting emerging honey bee pests and pathogens.  Prior to joining HBREL, Kaitlin completed her PhD in Entomology at Cornell University, where she studied how sustainable beekeeping practices impact virus sharing between managed honey bees and wild pollinators. She first became interested in pollinator disease ecology during her time as an undergraduate at the University of South Florida, before going on to investigate viruses in hover fly pollinators as part of her MSc in Biodiversity, Conservation, and Management at the University of Oxford.

---

honeybee@ifas.ufl.edu