2026 American Honey Queen Delanie Craighead
Oct 9th — Oct 9th
Delanie Craighead, the 2026 American Honey Queen, will visit the Topsfield Fair. She will participate in the Topsfield Fair, speaking to attendees about the importance of honeybees to Massachusetts agriculture and how honeybee pollination honeybees are the heart of agriculture. She will also share details on how there is a honey for every tastebud through demonstrations. Delanie will make appearances throughout the fairgrounds and will be present in the Essex County Beekeepers Association’s bee building.
She is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, and earned a bachelor’s degree in animal biology and a minor in veterinary medical entomology. Delanie previously worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in South America.
As the 2026 American Honey Queen, Delanie serves as a national spokesperson on behalf of the American Beekeeping Federation, a trade organization representing beekeepers and honey producers throughout the United States. The American Honey Queen and Princess speak and promote in venues nationwide, and, as such Queen Delanie will travel throughout the United States in 2026. Prior to being selected as the American Honey Princess, Delanie served as the 2025 California Honey Queen. In this role, she promoted the honey industry in a wide range of venues, including educational presentations and community events.
The beekeeping industry touches the lives of every individual in our country. In fact, honeybees are responsible for nearly one-third of our entire diet, through the pollination services that they provide for a large majority of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. This amounts to nearly $19 billion per year of direct value from honeybee pollination to United States agriculture.
