Meet the Team: Joseph Lanzilotti

Welcome to our monthly blog series: Meet the Team. Each month, we will share an interview of one of team members! We hope you will enjoy these!

This month we’re interviewing our beekeeper, Joseph Lanzilotti!

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in rural northwest New Jersey. I am the oldest in my family and have five younger siblings. We lived on about an acre of land which backed up to a dairy farm. The land sloped down into a small valley beyond the farm fence, and this hill was excellent for sled riding in the copious amounts of snow we received each winter. From as early as I can remember, my dad planted a garden with me in our backyard in the spring. When I was in sixth grade, I was given permission to tend my own garden which I expanded considerably over the next several years. One of my favorite things to do as a child was to go on nature walks led by my father. He would point out the smallest insects and the tiniest details that he could see. It was from him that I learned the delight that comes from observing the natural world. Our home was also only a couple of miles from the Appalachian trail which we would sometimes visit for short hikes and to a spectacular lookout on Sunrise Mountain, one of the peaks of the Kittatinny Mountains. Throughout my childhood and into my young adult years, the natural beauty that surrounded our home was a regular source of inspiration and amazement. A small and rustic Catholic sanctuary was located a few miles from our house, built by Fr. Sylvester Livolsi. This became a place which I frequented regularly as I grew up. It’s called the Sanctuary of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit, and it’s where, when the time came, I asked my wife to marry me. It’s now under the care of the Society of Divine Vocations and has become a shrine of their founder, St. Justin (Russolillo) of the Trinity. 

What did you do before you came to farming/Good Soil Farm?

Before coming to farming/Good Soil Farm, I studied, I traveled, and I worked. I worked many different jobs along the way as I pursued higher education. I began keeping my own bees the year I began PhD studies at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family, in 2010. Before setting up my first beehive, I took a course in beekeeping with the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association. It was an outstanding introduction to all things relating to honeybees. Prior to moving to Maryland, I had completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a second major in Philosophy from DeSales University in Center Valley, PA. After that I went on to complete a Masters degree in Catholic Theology from Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, FL. I worked a short while after that for the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, PA. During this time I taught a theology course for DeSales University and realized that what I really wanted was to pursue a doctorate in theology and teach within this field.

What inspired you to become a beekeeper?

Growing up in rural New Jersey, each year we would attend the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, the county fair. There was an exhibit run by a local beekeeper, Thomas Webb, who founded the Sussex County Beekeepers Association. Several times a day, Mr. Webb would give a beekeeping demonstration in a small screened enclosure. He would wear his veil and ready his smoker to show us the bees. I would watch his demonstrations as often as I could, mesmerized by his ability to work so closely with his bees. I learned a great deal about bees and beekeeping from these sessions as well as by viewing the observation hive that he maintained at the fair. Being an avid gardener from the time I was 12 years old, I was eager to become a beekeeper one day. As soon as I was stable enough to know that I would be in one place for a while, the first thing I did was take a course in beekeeping and obtain my own honeybees.

What are some things you didn’t expect to learn that beekeeping has taught you?

I certainly didn’t realize how much community would come from pursuing my desire to keep bees. Through the Montgomery County Beekeepers Association, I met outstanding mentors and friends who helped me on my way. Beekeeping is a joy, and it is much more communal than I had originally realized. Helping bees to stay alive and thrive is both an art and a science. Becoming an active member of beekeeping associations helped me to learn that beekeeping takes place within a community which shares a love and appreciation for honeybees and the integrity and beauty of the natural world.

How has beekeeping benefited you?

Each time I care for my bees is akin to a short retreat. Listening to the hum of the hives, entering into the quiet of the surrounding field, and attending to the seasonal changes that occur throughout the year, all work toward making me more attuned to the world in which we live. Shortly after I began beekeeping, I started to do honeybee rescues. This became a part-time job for a while. The work was difficult and very hot, yet very rewarding as well. Keeping bees at Good Soil Farm has benefitted me by giving me the opportunity to make frequent pilgrimages from where I live in Northern Virginia to the hallowed ground of Emmitsburg. Beekeeping has helped me to slow down and observe all the little things around us and to attend to what kinds of bees are visiting which flowers and when.

What do you hope to accomplish through beekeeping?

I hope to grow the apiary at Good Soil Farm such that we can have a sustained and reliable source of local honey produced right at Good Soil Farm. The main benefit the honeybees provide for the farm is through their service as pollinators. It is a common practice in most apiaries to feed bees sugar water throughout the year, particularly during the early spring, the summer nectar dearth, and the late fall. This sugar water is mixed with the naturally collected nectar and becomes part of the honey. It can make up a significant portion of the “honey” the bees produce in the summertime if they are managed in this way. Since I rarely supplement the bees’ naturally collected nectar with sugar, our bees require most of the honey they produce be left on the hives in order to get them through nectar dearths and through the winter. We harvest only the excess honey, an amount which varies significantly from year to year per hive. It takes about two years for new hives to produce excess nectar for harvesting. The nectar flow, when bees are able to collect an excess of nectar and add weight to their hives, lasts several weeks in the spring and early summer and then again for several weeks in the autumn. In the summer each year, there is typically a significant dearth when the bees rely on the honey they’ve made in the springtime in order to make it through to the fall. While there are enough hives to sufficiently pollinate the plants at Good Soil Farm, I am working to grow the apiary to the point that we have from ten to twenty working hives at the farm. We currently have five thriving hives, and I am in communication with a local beekeeper to expand our apiary with additional hives going into late summer. Honeybee colony losses at record highs across the country, and we have had our share of losses each year as well. Replenishing and maintaining healthy hives is extremely important with the pressures against the bees being relentless. Each year, I continue to finetune my practice of beekeeping as I discover more about the nature of the bees and the particular needs of each colony along with the new and old challenges they face particularly during the summer dearth and the winter months. I look forward to each trip up to the farm to check on the bees and to accomplish the next task on hand towards helping the bees to thrive. 

Most memorable Good Soil Farm experience?

This summer, my 4-year-old son has joined me a number of times when I’ve gone up to tend to the bees. I have a number of children’s size veils and jackets. One of my favorite Good Soil Farm experiences has been to have my son and three of the McGinley children in tow on our way to inspect the hives. 

What’s your favorite animal on the farm? And why?

I very much enjoy seeing the chickens and the sheep. I also enjoy all of the unexpected animals that I find while tending the bees. This often includes all kinds of insects. It can also include mice and some snakes. Caring for the land through regenerative agriculture leads to a great deal of biodiversity which I can see for myself every time I enter the apiary.

Favorite hobby?  Or favorite things you like to do when not working? 

I love trail running, hiking, and skiing. If there was more snow in this part of the country, I would take up snowshoeing. Nearly every year, I ski at Liberty Ski Resort. And I’m always on the lookout for a good running trail that takes me through wooded lands and along the banks of lakes and streams. 

Favorite food?

I always have difficulty answering this question. Mediterranean-style bowls are definitely a go-to for me. I also really enjoy Italian-style meals. Fresh basil, tomato, and mozzarella cheese sprinkled with olive oil and salt is definitely one of my favorites.

Favorite food you like to make with a Good Soil Farm item?

Zucchini bread!

---

Join our Mailchimp List to get all of our emails and stories!

---

More From the Blog