WEBVTT 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:08.480 Hi, this is Dave Joneson from Wisconsin, and I'm at the Midwest Honey Bee Expo 2026. 00:00:08.480 --> 00:00:11.840 Enjoy the Beekeeping Today podcast episode. 00:00:11.840 --> 00:00:14.880 Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast presented by BetterBear. 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:19.240 Your source for beekeeping news, information, and entertainment. 00:00:19.240 --> 00:00:20.360 I'm Jeff Ott. 00:00:20.360 --> 00:00:21.880 And I'm Becky Masterman. 00:00:21.880 --> 00:00:26.680 Today's episode is brought to you by the Bee Nutrition Superheroes at Global Patties. 00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:29.640 Family operated and buzzing with passion, Global Patties 00:00:30.240 --> 00:00:34.320 Crafts protein-packed patties that'll turn your hives into powerhouse production. 00:00:34.320 --> 00:00:40.080 Picture this: strong colonies, booming brood, and honey flowing like a sweet river. 00:00:40.080 --> 00:00:43.360 It's super protein for your bees and they love it. 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00:01:24.560 --> 00:01:29.920 Comments and feedback on each episode and check on podcast specials from our sponsors. 00:01:29.920 --> 00:01:32.480 You can find it all at www. 00:01:32.720 --> 00:01:34.240 beekeepingtoday. 00:01:34.240 --> 00:01:35.040 com. 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:38.240 Thank you, Dave Johnson from Wisconsin 00:01:38.140 --> 00:01:39.980 for that opening. 00:01:39.980 --> 00:01:44.540 The Midwest is really taking care of these listener openers, so fantastic. 00:01:44.540 --> 00:01:48.380 We have so many from the Midwest Honey Bee Expo and and many more 00:01:48.460 --> 00:01:51.980 yet to be heard from the North American Honey Bee Expo. 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:57.020 I think we're pretty good on on openers and one area we're kind of short on. 00:01:57.020 --> 00:01:58.780 We need some new questions. 00:01:58.780 --> 00:01:59.420 Ooh. 00:01:59.420 --> 00:01:59.900 Interesting. 00:02:00.380 --> 00:02:03.260 Listeners who are looking for the hive tool. 00:02:02.720 --> 00:02:07.520 Today's question comes to us from an email from Rich Colvin. 00:02:07.520 --> 00:02:13.200 I'm not going to read the entire question because he's pretty detailed in this question, but he really comes down to 00:02:13.920 --> 00:02:22.000 asking if there's a preference for his Langstreth Hives, whether he should be using like a single deep, a double deep 00:02:22.320 --> 00:02:25.360 or up to three mediums or using all mediums. 00:02:25.360 --> 00:02:26.640 He prefers all mediums. 00:02:26.640 --> 00:02:34.160 It kind of simplifies his frames, simplifies his boxes, just simplifies his operation, just to have one size. 00:02:34.160 --> 00:02:36.000 Is he missing anything? 00:02:35.940 --> 00:02:41.780 He would like to know if there's a preference or a better way of using these. 00:02:42.260 --> 00:02:43.060 Interesting. 00:02:43.060 --> 00:02:45.860 So he's looking at hype configuration and 00:02:46.700 --> 00:02:55.420 Honestly, hype configuration depends upon the bees, the beekeeper, and and what you want to do to get them through winter. 00:02:55.420 --> 00:02:58.620 But all three of those in most climates 00:02:58.840 --> 00:03:02.280 you're going to have to feed your bees to get them into winter, which is fine. 00:03:02.280 --> 00:03:04.040 That's not a big problem. 00:03:04.040 --> 00:03:11.480 But if he does winter in a single deep, that's a little bit more intense. 00:03:11.420 --> 00:03:17.660 because you want to make sure that that single deep has enough both feed and bees. 00:03:17.660 --> 00:03:22.700 And he didn't mention, but I wouldn't try to winter an Italian 00:03:22.940 --> 00:03:24.459 queen in a single deep. 00:03:24.459 --> 00:03:26.300 All of those work really well. 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:31.660 The Italians will be fine in two deeps, but when you're going with a smaller configuration 00:03:31.860 --> 00:03:41.220 I would want something like a carneolin or a Caucasian be so that they're good with small spaces and can use their reserves cautiously. 00:03:41.160 --> 00:03:43.480 He does not mention what bee he's using. 00:03:43.480 --> 00:03:46.120 He does mention he's in central Ohio. 00:03:46.120 --> 00:03:47.240 Yeah, yeah. 00:03:47.240 --> 00:03:53.000 It'd be hard to push an a Italian colony down into one deep or keep him in one deep. 00:03:52.740 --> 00:03:53.460 through the season. 00:03:53.700 --> 00:03:55.380 Well the that's the other thing too. 00:03:55.380 --> 00:04:05.700 If if you're managing a single deep during swarm season, that you have to really, really work hard and make sure that depending upon the kind of 00:04:05.660 --> 00:04:09.340 bee you kind of honey bee you have, they're not going to swarm on you. 00:04:09.340 --> 00:04:11.740 So it takes a little bit more intense management. 00:04:11.740 --> 00:04:13.980 But I do I like that single brood nest. 00:04:13.980 --> 00:04:19.420 It's nice because then when you go to control mites you've got one brood nest instead of its spread 00:04:19.539 --> 00:04:20.340 across. 00:04:20.340 --> 00:04:25.780 And and he mentioned another thing that I like is using one size frame for everything. 00:04:25.780 --> 00:04:32.340 So he said, you know, three mediums and then your supers, medium supers would match your brood nest. 00:04:32.060 --> 00:04:42.460 And although you keep those frames separate from each other for contamination purposes, you you still have that ease of mixing and matching your equipment. 00:04:42.460 --> 00:04:44.060 And that's that's always nice 00:04:44.139 --> 00:04:51.660 What you've talked about doing in the past is that when you've perhaps you've used a honey uh frame enough, you can move it down 00:04:51.860 --> 00:04:57.300 quickly to the brood and just leave it down there in the brood chamber just to keep your wax fresh down in the brood chamber. 00:04:57.620 --> 00:05:00.900 But I haven't wintered much at all in mediums. 00:05:00.900 --> 00:05:02.660 Is that something you've done, Jeff? 00:05:03.080 --> 00:05:04.280 No, I've not. 00:05:04.280 --> 00:05:10.680 I've grew up in the Midwest and everything was too deep and to this day I kind of maintain a too deep box. 00:05:10.680 --> 00:05:13.800 I know Kim switched to all mediums. 00:05:13.740 --> 00:05:19.180 and was using all mediums all along and he talked about he preferred that all the time. 00:05:19.180 --> 00:05:20.620 You know, just easier to maintain. 00:05:20.620 --> 00:05:21.500 It's lighter. 00:05:21.500 --> 00:05:26.940 One piece one type of equipment he could use as boxers no matter where he needed to. 00:05:26.760 --> 00:05:34.200 And the frames were interchangeable as long as he kept his wax separated, which he was really particular about. 00:05:34.200 --> 00:05:35.000 Okay, okay. 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:35.640 Yeah. 00:05:35.640 --> 00:05:39.560 But but I I don't see a problem as far as 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:41.020 what to do. 00:05:41.020 --> 00:05:50.060 I think that what gets confusing is when you start to do like I I do some, like I'll do a deep and a medium for some of my winter configurations. 00:05:50.060 --> 00:05:50.380 And 00:05:50.860 --> 00:05:55.740 once you get through to spring, if you want to move frames around, you've got two different size frames. 00:05:55.740 --> 00:05:59.820 You have to make sure you are aware of all where all your resources are. 00:05:59.820 --> 00:06:03.420 So I I like the fact that he's thinking about it. 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:05.699 But honestly, it's whatever you like best. 00:06:05.699 --> 00:06:10.340 And the other advantage that we didn't say out loud, but those medium supers are going to weigh less. 00:06:10.340 --> 00:06:14.900 And so it's it's a little bit easier to move them around. 00:06:14.760 --> 00:06:16.680 So yeah, I think I think it's a good question. 00:06:16.680 --> 00:06:19.160 And did we just he gets a hive tool, right? 00:06:19.160 --> 00:06:23.240 Even though we just said a bunch of stuff and didn't give him a firm answer. 00:06:24.760 --> 00:06:25.400 Rich. 00:06:25.620 --> 00:06:27.379 Rich will receive a hive tool. 00:06:27.539 --> 00:06:29.139 We gave him some things to think about. 00:06:29.139 --> 00:06:30.419 You can't go wrong, Rich. 00:06:30.419 --> 00:06:31.940 There's no right or wrong way. 00:06:31.940 --> 00:06:37.300 It's what you're used to and you manage your bees for that box appropriately. 00:06:37.300 --> 00:06:40.259 You can go wrong if you put an Italian in a single deep. 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:45.120 I mean, for wintering, I wouldn't that wouldn't be my first choice. 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:48.240 But other that other than that he can't go wrong. 00:06:49.760 --> 00:06:56.320 Well folks coming up today, we have two guests talking about a very topical topic. 00:06:56.320 --> 00:06:58.480 Boy, am I redundant today. 00:06:58.480 --> 00:06:59.200 It's okay. 00:06:59.200 --> 00:07:00.320 It's okay. 00:07:00.800 --> 00:07:04.080 So uh today's topic, it's in the news today. 00:07:03.840 --> 00:07:13.680 the spotted lantern fly and we're talking two experts on spotted lantern fly at spotted lanternfly honey and they will be able to tell us the ups and downs about it. 00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:17.120 I am really looking forward to this discussion because 00:07:18.020 --> 00:07:23.700 It's it's really a special honey and and I bet beekeepers can do some great things with it. 00:07:23.700 --> 00:07:25.940 I'm excited to learn more about it. 00:07:25.860 --> 00:07:26.340 Very good. 00:07:26.340 --> 00:07:28.420 Well coming up, we will be talking with Dr. 00:07:28.420 --> 00:07:29.940 Robin Underwood and Dr. 00:07:29.940 --> 00:07:32.020 Ferrat Osterk. 00:07:32.020 --> 00:07:35.700 I'll have to ask him how he says his name, and we'll be talking to them right after these 00:07:35.960 --> 00:07:38.680 Messages from our sponsors. 00:07:38.680 --> 00:07:50.599 For more than 45 years, Betterbee has proudly supported beekeepers by offering high-quality, innovative products, providing outstanding customer service, many of our 00:07:51.039 --> 00:07:57.680 Staff are beekeepers themselves, and sharing education to help beekeepers succeed. 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:04.319 Based in Greenwich, New York, Betterbee serves beekeepers all across the United States. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:05.599 Whether you're just getting 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:15.159 started or a seasoned pro, BetterBe has the products and experience to help you and your bees succeed. 00:08:15.139 --> 00:08:16.900 Visit Betterbee. 00:08:16.900 --> 00:08:23.540 com or call 1-800-632-3379. 00:08:23.540 --> 00:08:26.979 Betterbee, your partners in better beekeeping 00:08:32.940 --> 00:08:41.820 This episode of Beekeeping Today podcast is brought to you in part by Apis Tactical, a beekeeping brand focused on innovation. 00:08:42.060 --> 00:08:47.500 They use new designs, new materials, and new ideas to bring more joy to beekeeping. 00:08:47.500 --> 00:08:52.380 Apis Tactical creates a wide range of gear for beekeepers of all types. 00:08:52.380 --> 00:08:56.860 They use new designs, new materials, and new ideas to bring more joy to beekeepers. 00:08:57.060 --> 00:08:57.940 Beekeeping. 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:06.900 Their products are built with purpose and they're already getting attention well beyond the US, with beekeepers in Europe discovering them through this podcast. 00:09:06.900 --> 00:09:11.700 If you're looking for well-made beekeeping gear from a company that understands the work, 00:09:11.900 --> 00:09:13.980 Take a look at Apis Tactical. 00:09:13.980 --> 00:09:17.260 You can learn more at Apis-tactical. 00:09:17.260 --> 00:09:17.900 com. 00:09:17.900 --> 00:09:24.620 Hey everybody, welcome back, sitting around the great big virtual beekeeping today podcast interview table. 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:25.500 We have Dr. 00:09:25.500 --> 00:09:26.860 Robin. 00:09:26.440 --> 00:09:28.440 Underwood and Dr. 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:30.440 Ferrat Osterk. 00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:32.360 Thank you for joining us this afternoon. 00:09:32.360 --> 00:09:34.200 We're so glad you both joined us. 00:09:34.200 --> 00:09:38.360 We're very excited to talk about some spotted lantern fly. 00:09:38.320 --> 00:09:40.880 all the stories you have and the research. 00:09:40.880 --> 00:09:42.160 So thank you. 00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:45.200 Please introduce yourselves to our listeners. 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:48.320 Give us a little bit of background about yourself. 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:51.600 And your history with bees and this entire topic. 00:09:51.920 --> 00:09:53.600 Hi, I'm Robin Underwood. 00:09:53.600 --> 00:09:56.720 I work for Penn State Extension. 00:09:56.920 --> 00:10:04.600 And I happen to live in Berks County, Pennsylvania, where spotted lanternflies were first introduced to our country. 00:10:04.600 --> 00:10:07.399 So that's how I came upon this research. 00:10:07.520 --> 00:10:14.400 And it happened because I've been studying honeybees since, you know, before the turn of the century. 00:10:15.280 --> 00:10:17.120 Boy, that sounds that sounds 00:10:17.560 --> 00:10:19.880 That sounds impressive. 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:23.160 Uh old, yeah. 00:10:23.160 --> 00:10:30.360 So I got a bachelor's degree in entomology where I was lucky enough to take an apidology course with Dewey Karen 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:40.380 who we all know and love, ended up doing a PhD in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with Robee Curry and on Honeybees and 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:43.020 you know, have been in love with them ever since. 00:10:43.020 --> 00:10:48.140 I'm currently as Penn State Extensions educator, also a sideliner. 00:10:48.140 --> 00:10:54.460 So I keep about 135 colonies here in Pennsylvania for honey production and also for research 00:10:54.160 --> 00:10:56.160 Is that Eastern Pennsylvania? 00:10:56.160 --> 00:10:57.200 Western Pennsylvania? 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:58.320 I'm not familiar. 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:00.640 Yeah, it is Eastern Pennsylvania. 00:11:00.640 --> 00:11:02.240 And Fairhat? 00:11:02.160 --> 00:11:04.240 My name is Dr. Ferhat Ozturk. 00:11:04.240 --> 00:11:08.400 I work at Solros State University International in Eagle Pest, Texas. 00:11:08.400 --> 00:11:14.320 I'm an associate professor of biology and program director of the biomedical sciences. 00:11:14.040 --> 00:11:19.000 I have been studying about medicinal honey for about 14 years. 00:11:19.000 --> 00:11:24.920 So I fell in love with honey in back in 2012 when I was studying about wound healing. 00:11:24.660 --> 00:11:31.060 I found out honey is the ultimate wound healer used by every civilization on earth for thousands of years. 00:11:31.060 --> 00:11:36.820 And I was studying about cleft pellet, how the pellet development occurs in our mouth during the embryogenesis 00:11:36.660 --> 00:11:45.780 and the mechanism of palatogenesis and wound healing is the same and then when I was studying about you know how I can improve this mechanism and I found out honey 00:11:45.860 --> 00:11:47.540 It just came out from there. 00:11:47.540 --> 00:11:53.540 Uh got my PhD in cellular and molecular biology from University of Nevada Reno back in 2003. 00:11:53.540 --> 00:11:55.300 Sorry, 2007. 00:11:54.959 --> 00:11:56.000 And then with Dr. 00:11:56.000 --> 00:11:57.279 Christopher Proda. 00:11:57.279 --> 00:12:07.920 And then I got my postdoc at Creighton University and uh Nebraska Medical Center and worked on cell signaling, bioinformatics, and cleft pellet. 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:20.080 And then I returned to my home country, Turkey, in 2013 as the director of Honey Research Center there, and then as well as Chair of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the newly established university 00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:22.800 It was called Janik Bashela University. 00:12:22.800 --> 00:12:29.360 It was in my hometown and it was also like I returned to be you know to serve as an ST professor. 00:12:29.060 --> 00:12:38.420 But then I found that they also have the Honey Research Center just being established there by a well-known professor, Kamritin Mohammed Yusuf from Malaysia. 00:12:38.060 --> 00:12:49.900 So he was the initial people, one of the pioneers that used honey for clinical trials in Malaysia and they treated thousands of patients by using just local Tualang honey. 00:12:49.459 --> 00:12:57.620 It was impressive and after that I kind of devoted my life to introduce honey as the a healing for humankind. 00:12:57.300 --> 00:13:04.899 So not only for wound healing, but also for gastrointestinal disease, respiratory infections, skin disorders, you know, even acne. 00:13:04.899 --> 00:13:09.380 So honey can be used for various diseases and I'm trying what I am studying is 00:13:09.459 --> 00:13:15.380 which honey has more medicinal potential and how they can be applied for therapeutic purposes. 00:13:15.380 --> 00:13:17.380 And for I was uh I'm also there 00:13:18.180 --> 00:13:26.580 director of Honey Pathway, which is a USDA next-gen funded program and basically we are teaching our students about 00:13:26.959 --> 00:13:38.240 medicinal properties of honey through research and as well as BKME apprenticeship and like the internships and research about use of honey and bees for various purposes in the research. 00:13:38.240 --> 00:13:38.800 Wow 00:13:38.959 --> 00:13:41.360 I did not know all of that was going on. 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:43.200 That is very exciting. 00:13:43.200 --> 00:13:44.720 This is gonna be a fun show. 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:46.880 I am really interested in what you have to say. 00:13:46.880 --> 00:13:49.839 I was a paramedic for quite a few years. 00:13:49.640 --> 00:13:56.360 And during that time I also looked into the medicinal properties of honey and was always excited about what I was reading. 00:13:56.360 --> 00:13:58.920 So we'll have to have more discussion on that. 00:13:58.920 --> 00:14:02.200 But that's not totally reason why we're here today. 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:03.800 We're we're gonna talk about 00:14:03.959 --> 00:14:05.959 The spotted lanternfly? 00:14:05.959 --> 00:14:09.959 Robin, why don't you give us some background on the spotted lanternfly? 00:14:09.959 --> 00:14:10.519 Okay. 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:14.519 Spotted lanternfly is a type of insect 00:14:14.759 --> 00:14:17.480 Kind of like an aphid, but only much larger. 00:14:17.480 --> 00:14:19.480 It is a leaf hopper. 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:27.880 Their mouth is a big hard straw that they poke into plants and suck out the plant phloem, which is the sugar water 00:14:28.220 --> 00:14:30.700 blood system of the plant. 00:14:30.700 --> 00:14:35.660 And while they're doing that, you know, they're drinking all day long and 00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:42.960 Filtering out the nutrients that they need, but then excreting basically sugar water as well. 00:14:42.960 --> 00:14:49.040 So they tap into plants as adults, they're tapping right into trees, right through the bark. 00:14:49.260 --> 00:14:55.900 and excreting this honeydew, which is their excrement, on whatever is below them. 00:14:55.900 --> 00:15:01.100 So it could it's on the trunks of trees, leaves, other insects below them, or meat. 00:15:02.220 --> 00:15:03.100 Are you there? 00:15:03.100 --> 00:15:03.660 Yep. 00:15:03.900 --> 00:15:05.420 Did you say you, Robin? 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:05.900 Yeah. 00:15:05.900 --> 00:15:06.460 Mm-hmm. 00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:08.300 Because I go toward these insects. 00:15:08.300 --> 00:15:11.660 So so you regularly are dripping with honey too? 00:15:11.839 --> 00:15:14.240 Well, it's it's all for science. 00:15:14.240 --> 00:15:15.120 I love that. 00:15:15.120 --> 00:15:17.519 That is that is such dedication. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:18.959 That is fantastic. 00:15:20.079 --> 00:15:24.800 And then I I this is kind of like a Disney movie because if honeydew drips on you then 00:15:24.600 --> 00:15:28.120 Do butterflies land on you and then drink it up? 00:15:28.120 --> 00:15:30.519 Is it I mean, are you like a flower then? 00:15:30.519 --> 00:15:33.639 I suppose I could be if I ever stood still. 00:15:34.280 --> 00:15:42.040 So yeah, what happened is when lantern flies were introduced, like I said, into Berks County, Pennsylvania, of course, you know 00:15:42.160 --> 00:15:46.720 Everyone freaks out about a new invasive species and they tried to eradicate them. 00:15:46.720 --> 00:15:50.000 So they were doing all kinds of things to try to control them 00:15:50.040 --> 00:15:53.560 which included, of course, learning what plants they like. 00:15:53.560 --> 00:15:58.120 And one thing they like as ad as adults is to gather on Tree of Heaven 00:15:58.520 --> 00:16:04.760 Lots of them, that's kind of where the mating occurs, and then they go off and lay eggs late in the season. 00:16:04.760 --> 00:16:11.000 And so they were cutting down most of the tree of heaven, which by the way is also an invasive species. 00:16:10.759 --> 00:16:13.880 So it's not a big deal to be eliminating most of them. 00:16:13.880 --> 00:16:18.600 And then they would spray the bark of these trees with a systemic pesticide 00:16:18.880 --> 00:16:28.640 And the workers were noticing that some beneficial insects were visiting those trees and they got concerned about them getting harmed by the pesticides. 00:16:28.400 --> 00:16:34.400 So I came in and put up some Sentinel beehives to see if I they were bringing it back to the hive. 00:16:34.400 --> 00:16:37.200 And at the time, it was quite early on. 00:16:37.200 --> 00:16:39.760 The paper was published in 2017. 00:16:39.560 --> 00:16:45.880 I did not see any impacts at all of the treatments and the bees were making their normal honey. 00:16:45.880 --> 00:16:48.280 It wasn't until twenty nineteen 00:16:48.720 --> 00:16:53.920 that beekeepers started to notice their honey was different. 00:16:53.920 --> 00:16:58.800 So they suddenly were getting supers full of dark 00:16:59.220 --> 00:17:10.339 honey at times that is normally a dearth here in Pennsylvania, so August, September, and the flavor and odor were just something that was not familiar at all. 00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:18.880 And so the by that time I was working for Penn State and they were calling extension, they were calling the entomology department saying, What is this strange honey? 00:17:19.220 --> 00:17:26.740 And so I was brought back to the research at that time and again, you know, looking for pesticides again. 00:17:26.740 --> 00:17:32.420 So I found a collaborator in a research labee that was able to look for those specific pesticides. 00:17:32.419 --> 00:17:45.860 And I'm naughty, I have not published that work, but um it's clear that spotted lanternflies are involved, that this honey is a result of honeybees collecting the lanternfly honeydew 00:17:46.040 --> 00:17:48.600 Pesticides are not a problem. 00:17:48.600 --> 00:17:53.080 Whatever they're doing, by the time it gets into honey, it's we can't really find it. 00:17:53.080 --> 00:17:56.600 And when we do it at exceedingly low levels, that would be safe. 00:17:56.620 --> 00:17:57.740 for bees. 00:17:57.740 --> 00:18:09.580 But I have been ever fascinated by the this honey and its flavor and every new location that gets lantern flies that has beekeepers, it's a new fascination again 00:18:09.540 --> 00:18:15.060 So this story will never end until the lantern flies have finished occupying the entire country. 00:18:17.260 --> 00:18:18.620 I have so many questions. 00:18:18.620 --> 00:18:19.100 Yeah. 00:18:19.100 --> 00:18:19.580 Go ahead. 00:18:20.059 --> 00:18:22.299 You might have said this in your introduction. 00:18:22.299 --> 00:18:25.980 When was the spotted lantern fly initially found? 00:18:25.740 --> 00:18:26.940 in Berks County. 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:28.940 They found it in twenty fourteen. 00:18:28.940 --> 00:18:31.660 They think it probably arrived in twenty twelve. 00:18:31.660 --> 00:18:34.700 And interestingly it took about five years for the 00:18:35.419 --> 00:18:44.860 The I think it's because the population has to increase enough so that the honey bees have, you know, large quantities of honeydew to collect. 00:18:44.820 --> 00:18:48.980 And that's exactly what I've seen also now in other places. 00:18:48.980 --> 00:18:53.300 So it's like five years after you first see them, that's when the beekeepers notice the honey. 00:18:53.460 --> 00:18:57.860 In how many states is the spotted lanternfly found now? 00:18:58.180 --> 00:19:00.180 Seventeen or eighteen. 00:19:00.180 --> 00:19:08.260 So a lot of beekeepers are kind of in the the path of finding this unusual honey. 00:19:08.200 --> 00:19:14.120 that they've never seen before and it possibly being the spotted lantern fly honey then. 00:19:14.120 --> 00:19:15.240 That's correct. 00:19:15.240 --> 00:19:15.720 Mm-hmm. 00:19:16.200 --> 00:19:21.560 Let's ask the obvious question right away because I I'm sure all of our listeners are wondering the same thing. 00:19:21.560 --> 00:19:25.160 Is the spotted lanternfly honey safe to eat? 00:19:25.240 --> 00:19:26.600 It is safe to eat. 00:19:26.600 --> 00:19:28.360 Can you call it honey at that point? 00:19:28.360 --> 00:19:31.720 From a legal labeling standpoint, is there an issue? 00:19:31.800 --> 00:19:39.480 It depends who you ask, but in my opinion, and we'll ask for hot this as well, the definition is, you know 00:19:39.840 --> 00:19:47.840 This sweet product that comes from honeybee colonies who collected either floral nectar or 00:19:48.340 --> 00:19:51.299 other exudates of a plant, right? 00:19:51.299 --> 00:19:52.740 So it's all phloem. 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:54.500 It's just did it go into a flower? 00:19:54.500 --> 00:19:56.740 Did it pass through an insect? 00:19:56.640 --> 00:20:05.600 or even they can directly collect the sap when the lantern fly removes their mouth parts and it starts directly leaking out of the plant through the wound. 00:20:05.720 --> 00:20:09.720 And there are other plants with these extra floral nectaries, right? 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:13.640 So they all fr are from the same source and to me 00:20:13.940 --> 00:20:17.620 When it's then processed by honey bees, it becomes honey. 00:20:18.260 --> 00:20:20.820 Do you have a good definition for what honey is? 00:20:20.820 --> 00:20:22.899 Yeah, I mean you define it pretty well. 00:20:22.899 --> 00:20:24.980 So honey is basically 00:20:25.120 --> 00:20:36.240 the nectar that has been collected from plant secretion or animal excretions and as well as other from the blossoms of the trees and that has been enzymatically processed 00:20:36.060 --> 00:20:48.060 by the honeybees, like through the invertase enzyme that it's converted from sucrose to glucose and fructose, and then it has been placed and dried by the honeybees, I mean cured by the honeybees. 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:50.300 So that's kind of the overall definition of the honey. 00:20:50.300 --> 00:20:55.340 So in this c according to this definition, which is International Honey Commission's definition, is this this way. 00:20:55.340 --> 00:20:57.100 And I think USCA does the same. 00:20:57.100 --> 00:20:59.660 So it's a honey-dew honey, but yes 00:20:59.580 --> 00:21:04.060 So two types honeydew honey or blossom honey, but they are both honeys. 00:21:04.060 --> 00:21:09.820 So in essence, instead of talking about sourwood honey, we're talking about lanternfly honey. 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:12.000 Right? 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:20.320 Yeah, there are other honeydew honeys I would say like there are for example there is a pine honey, it's a honeydew honey, oak honey, it's another honeydew honey 00:21:20.160 --> 00:21:26.640 Suprece, fur, these are different type of honeydew honeys available in the market or people can buy those. 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:28.080 Are honeydew honeys 00:21:28.800 --> 00:21:36.320 often very dark or is there a variety of shades of honey if it's from honeydew? 00:21:36.320 --> 00:21:38.880 They do seem to be dark honeys, yes. 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:43.360 That's kind of exciting for maybe the beekeeper and the consumer. 00:21:43.419 --> 00:21:50.780 And and are are we gonna get there about these the amazing properties of the spotted lanternfly honeydew 00:21:51.040 --> 00:21:55.840 as far as as what makes it maybe different than some of your other kinds of honey. 00:21:55.840 --> 00:21:59.360 Well were you maybe interested in tasting it first? 00:21:59.279 --> 00:21:59.840 Well I'm a little bit more than a lot of people. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:07.840 So I can open the jar and start there. 00:22:09.720 --> 00:22:19.799 I I have had this it actually s it's it's actually so I'm more of an IPA person than a honey person. 00:22:19.840 --> 00:22:24.799 So the smell is a good start because it's it's very robust. 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.640 So that's a good start. 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:28.320 I'm gonna go ahead and taste it. 00:22:28.320 --> 00:22:28.880 Go ahead. 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:30.480 I'm not afraid. 00:22:30.480 --> 00:22:31.360 I'm not afraid. 00:22:31.360 --> 00:22:32.880 I'm losing my finger, but 00:22:37.120 --> 00:22:39.520 That's a honey. 00:22:39.520 --> 00:22:40.799 That is lovely 00:22:41.820 --> 00:22:44.380 It's not super sweet. 00:22:45.180 --> 00:22:47.580 I found okay, I like very few honeys. 00:22:47.580 --> 00:22:50.620 I found another one that's this is a good one. 00:22:50.620 --> 00:22:51.260 Okay. 00:22:51.260 --> 00:22:52.060 I'll try it. 00:22:52.060 --> 00:22:53.820 I'm giving it thumbs up 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:56.260 This is the opposite of clover honey. 00:22:56.340 --> 00:23:06.980 So Robin gave us these samples of honey or the spotted landerfly honey or the honeydew honey at the North American Honey Bee Expo in January. 00:23:07.240 --> 00:23:16.440 And she was kind enough to give me this little tiny plastic bear because I was flying home and um I didn't want TSA to enjoy my honey. 00:23:16.440 --> 00:23:17.480 So here we go. 00:23:17.560 --> 00:23:18.440 There we go. 00:23:19.160 --> 00:23:21.720 This is lovely. 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:24.920 It's bold. 00:23:26.360 --> 00:23:27.560 It's complex. 00:23:29.420 --> 00:23:29.740 Wow. 00:23:31.180 --> 00:23:37.420 I will I will tell you my my daughter who was helping us in the booth and at the North American Honey Bee Expo 00:23:38.120 --> 00:23:39.720 really likes this honey. 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:44.680 Then when I explained to her what it was, she did she take a step back? 00:23:44.680 --> 00:23:45.720 She took a step back. 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:46.840 She literally 00:23:47.460 --> 00:23:52.740 I thought I was joking with her as a dad, but no, it's it's but it's it's good. 00:23:52.740 --> 00:23:55.700 So wow that's that's really fascinating. 00:23:55.700 --> 00:23:59.860 So let's take this opportunity right now, since this is a great place to break 00:23:59.500 --> 00:24:03.580 And we'll come back and we'll discuss the honeydoo honey in a little bit more detail. 00:24:03.580 --> 00:24:09.020 We'll be right back after these words from our sponsors. 00:24:09.020 --> 00:24:11.500 Beekeeping is demanding work. 00:24:11.500 --> 00:24:14.460 The last thing you need is equipment that can't keep up. 00:24:14.500 --> 00:24:23.940 That's why Premiere Bee Products builds every frame and hive body in our South Dakota factories with one goal in mind, reliability when it matters most. 00:24:23.940 --> 00:24:29.300 From our beefy pure frames to our natural profila hive bodies with rough interiors, 00:24:29.500 --> 00:24:38.540 We designed for long life in the field and in the colony because we believe that in beekeeping, details make all the difference. 00:24:38.540 --> 00:24:42.780 Premier bee products, better for bees, better for beekeepers. 00:24:43.060 --> 00:24:45.700 Visit online at PremierBproducts. 00:24:45.700 --> 00:24:47.540 com or call us today. 00:24:47.540 --> 00:24:53.220 Use promo code Podcast for 10% off your next online order. 00:24:58.220 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podcast. 00:25:44.340 --> 00:25:48.580 Vita provides proven tools for controlling Varroa, API Stan, 00:25:48.500 --> 00:25:57.700 from Apiguard to the new Roxanne extended release oxalic acid strips, helping beekeepers keep stronger, healthier colonies. 00:25:57.800 --> 00:26:00.520 Welcome back, everybody. 00:26:00.520 --> 00:26:01.640 Oh goodness. 00:26:01.640 --> 00:26:02.120 Okay. 00:26:02.120 --> 00:26:06.360 So so if you've listened to the show, you know that I'm I'm just not a huge fan of honey. 00:26:06.360 --> 00:26:11.960 And and I'm super excited that I've actually found one another one that I I really like. 00:26:11.760 --> 00:26:16.000 I have to ask Robin Fairhat, how do you feel about the the taste of this honey? 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:24.240 I mean I personally like it and um I have several samples of those and I tasted most of them, uh almost all of them, and I really enjoy them. 00:26:24.240 --> 00:26:24.960 I like the 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:34.280 darker color honeys because they're not like they look more robust and not regular honeys, not everybody tastes as, you know. 00:26:34.280 --> 00:26:35.240 It's a kind of a 00:26:35.620 --> 00:26:37.860 different taste and I enjoy it. 00:26:38.020 --> 00:26:40.020 I am not a fan. 00:26:40.020 --> 00:26:46.340 I much prefer the very sweet light honeys from Blossoms. 00:26:46.280 --> 00:26:54.840 And it's interesting because part of how we identify the sunny is by the taste, so I'm forced to put that in my mouth. 00:26:54.900 --> 00:26:56.260 Regular food. 00:26:56.260 --> 00:26:56.740 Right. 00:26:56.740 --> 00:27:02.820 I'll be over Well okay, now you know how I feel about having to taste my clover honey. 00:27:02.820 --> 00:27:06.820 So Robin, you you impressed me with everything you do for science 00:27:06.640 --> 00:27:08.400 Rob, this is fantastic. 00:27:08.400 --> 00:27:20.080 Because Robin, you shared you've got a hund over a hundred colonies, a hundred and thirty-five colonies, so come late summer, you are producing a lot of this honey, correct? 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:22.620 Well it's interesting, I'm not producing that much. 00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:32.700 It seems that when the lantern flies come, they're abundant, you make the honey, and then they kind of move off and go somewhere else, and then I can't make it anymore. 00:27:32.519 --> 00:27:37.720 And so I made it in 2020 in abundance almost by accident. 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:39.799 And then I made some more this year. 00:27:39.799 --> 00:27:41.559