Murrieta's 'Honey Princess' Advocates For Bees, Earning Masters In Entomology At UC Riverside

MURRIETA, CA — Murrieta resident and California's Honey Princess of 2025 Emilia Burnham is focused on advocating for the honeybee as she finishes her studies at UC Riverside, according to a recent report from UC Riverside.

Emilia Burnham, a current American Beekeeping Federation's National Princess, something she says is "no small honor."

She's a fourth-generation beekeeper from Murrieta, and has spent the past year in this role on food floats at the State Fair of Texas, on the radio in Kentucky, or giving talks about bee health at a pumpkin patch in North Dakota.

“There’s no typical day as a honey princess,” she said. “Every day is a little wild and super interesting.”

Burnham has served as California's Honey Queen in 2024, and has worn her sash and tiara with pride.

"I wear the tiara to attract attention, then I turn that attention to the bees," Burnham said. In 2024, she served as the California Honey Queen, conducting statewide outreach to K-12 youth groups, schools, and community programs about honeybee health, according to UCR.

Having served in the statewide role made her eligible to compete for the national title, which she won. This gave her a larger platform to educate children about insect science.

At UCR, Burnham served as the Entomology Department outreach coordinator from 2022–24, leading science visits to local schools. She plans to keep growing as an educator. In January she’ll start a Concordia University credential program to become a high school science teacher.
“Going into classrooms these past three years has felt like the universe poking me,” Burnham said. ‘It was saying, ‘Hey! You’re enjoying this, and it’s good for you! This is what you’re meant to do.’”

Her presentations blend fun with facts, she s

Elementary students flap their arms like bees. Middle schoolers roll their eyes until she wins them over. High schoolers ask deep questions about STEM careers and what it’s like often be one of the only women in a lab.

"I wear pink. I wear the princess tiara. I don’t try to be someone else,” she told UCR. She also hopes that both her being herself inspires students that they don't have to fit into a specific mold to belong in science.

“Making the world a better place for all animals, including bees, can be as simple as not leaving trash out on the playground,” she said. “And there are things they can do at home too, like planting pollinator gardens.”

Between classes and cross-country travel, Burnham says she still finds time to enjoy her hobbies: ballroom dancing, playing the flute, baking chocolate-chip bagels, and creating art.

Her undergraduate capstone project combined bees, arthritis, and movement, using dance to explain how bee venom might help treat inflammation.

“Science and creativity are completely intertwined,” she said. “They’re both about seeing the world in new ways.”

Read the full story here: insideucr.ucr.edu.