Lanternfly honey rises as bees transform invasive pests into a bold smoky product with surprising demand
A strange new honey, darker, smokier and born from an invasive pest, is drawing global attention, scientific curiosity and surprisingly eager customers.
A surprising new product is spreading through beekeeping communities across the United States: lanternfly honey. It tastes bold and unusual, but its origin makes many people hesitate. Bees create this honey from a sweet liquid called honeydew, a substance spotted lanternflies excrete after feeding on tree sap.
One beekeeper in Washington, D.C. told The Washington Post, “It just doesn’t have this gentle sweet taste. It’s like your grandparents’ cough drops.”
The invasive bug behind the buzz
Spotted lanternflies, first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, have now spread to 17 states. They coat trees with sticky honeydew in late summer, from August to October. With fewer flowers blooming then, bees happily collect it and transform it into honey.
The first big clue came in 2019 when Pennsylvania beekeepers opened hives and smelled something strange. “The beekeepers were like, ‘What is this weird honey?’” said Robyn Underwood, a Penn State entomologist, as per The Washington Post.
Smoky, fruity, and sometimes like bacon
According to reports by WVTF, the honey looks dark, sometimes reddish, and has bold flavors.
Customers at a Virginia farmer’s market described it as, nothing they have “ever tasted before,” and “Very fruity, almost citrus,” with “A little tang.”
In Ohio, a beekeeper said it tasted “like smoked ham or smoked bacon” after finding a thick, smoky batch.
Scientists take notice
Researchers are now studying lanternfly honey for its medical value. Early results from Penn State and the University of Texas at San Antonio show it may be more antibacterial than manuka honey, considered the world’s strongest medicinal honey.
Penn State research biologist Robyn Underwood explained on the podcast Interviews with Experts, the honey’s antibacterial effects. “If you can picture a petri dish, and you cover it with bacteria, and then you put a drop of honey in the center, it doesn’t allow the bacteria to grow.” She added, “Manuka is the gold standard!”
Safe, marketable, and suddenly popular
Despite its unusual source, experts say lanternfly honey is safe to eat, with pesticide levels “exceedingly small.”
Some beekeepers are already bottling special editions. One D.C. seller joked, “everything from smoky barbecuey to earthy, leaf-littery to wet socks.” describing the smell of the hives.
Still, people are curious. International honey-tasting events have sampled it, and customers continue to pick up jars for its story as much as its flavor.
Also read: Siblings in China killed by wasp swarm, boy stung 300 times and sister 700; beekeeper under probe
