Meet the Beekeeper

Dr. Katie Krebs —Hello! I am a veterinarian, dog mom, and bee keeper living near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When I am not helping animals or out with the bees, you can find me participating in a variety of community outreach and educational activities – especially about bees!

I was originally became interested in bees in veterinary school when the USDA passed a ruling to include honey bees in the Veterinary Feed Directive (VFD). This meant that now veterinarians were required in order to prescribe medications for honey bees. Many vets were (and still are) unprepared to work with bees. A professor at the vet school took myself and some other vet students out to work with his bees, and the rest is history.

After multiple moves, I decided to get my own bees and started with two hives. The interest quickly became an obsession, and my apiary grew from two hives to the 15-25 hives that we now maintain.

When not keeping my own bees, I am active in the local beekeeping organization, where I serve as the Vice President of the Philadelphia Beekeeper’s Guild. I am also active in the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium (HBVC), where I serve on the Education Committee. I am also working on starting a teaching apiary at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine to help educate future generations of veterinarians on the importance of honey bees and help them become better prepared to work with these amazing creatures.

Need veterinary services for your bees? I’d be happy to help! I also LOVE talking about honey bees! I have spoken at local and national conferences about honey bees and would be happy to talk to your organization as well! Please feel free to contact me!