Bees typically don't produce much honey in the late summer because many plants are no longer blooming.
This year, though, members of the Central Ohio Beekeepers Association went to harvest honey from two hives on East Broad Street in Columbus — and discovered quite a lot of unusual honey, said Medard Lutmerding, president of the association.
"The honey came out to be a very dark color, very thick honey. And in tasting it, it had a very unusual taste. It actually had sort of a smoky taste to it," Lutmerding said. "So, we were puzzled."
At first, the beekeepers thought someone had used a smoker to calm the bees and it had somehow changed the honey. Then, they spoke with an entomologist.
"He said, well, you know, you may have spotted lanternfly honey," Lutmerding said.
Spotted lanternflies have swarmed central Ohio. The adult bugs have grey outer wings and bright red underwings, both with spots. They're highly invasive, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources considers the bugs pests because they eat and damage a variety of plants. They were first recorded in Ohio in 2020, according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.
Spotted lanternflies secrete a sweet, sticky substance called honeydew. Lutmerding said, apparently, bees love it; they collect it, and convert it into honey.
Lutmerding said this is the first reason he's seen spotted lanternfly honey in central Ohio. Beekeepers in Pennsylvania and other eastern states have reported finding the unusual honey for a year or more.
It's unclear if the lanternfly honey will be a boon or burden to beekeepers.
Lutmerding said it does provide a supply of honey late in the season, but he doesn't know yet if the honey will be marketable. He compared the flavor to smoked ham or smoked bacon. It may be a bit of an acquired taste.
"I think it remains to be seen what the exact value of this is," Lutmerding said. "Is it something that will be commercially available? How do you market it?"
Lutmerding said most of Central Ohio Beekeepers Association's members are hobbyists, but many do sell their extra honey.
He suspects in the future, beekeepers will adjust their honey harvest schedules.
"What I think the beekeepers will have to do in the future is harvest the honey from the hives before the spotted lantern flies get active with producing honeydew. And as I understand, that's usually in late summer," Lutmerding said.
Lutmerding also expects to see more discussion about the honey in central Ohio as it becomes more common.
