The Tennessee Tech HoneyDNA Project uses environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding to identify plants represented in honey samples collected from Tennessee beekeepers.
Every jar of honey contains microscopic traces of pollen, nectar residues, and other plant material gathered by bees while foraging. These materials contain DNA that can be recovered and analyzed to provide insight into the floral resources used by honey bees.
The process involves five steps.
Begin by completing our online sample submission form. The form collects information about your apiary location, honey harvest, and contact information.
This information helps us interpret your results and allows us to compare patterns across Tennessee.
Once your submission is received, you will be provided with instructions for submitting your honey sample.
When your sample arrives, we isolate environmental DNA from the honey.
Although honey appears simple, it contains microscopic biological material originating from flowers visited by bees. DNA can often be recovered from pollen grains and other plant-derived materials suspended within the honey.
Specialized laboratory procedures are used to purify this DNA and prepare it for sequencing.
The extracted DNA is analyzed using high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies.
Rather than targeting a single plant species, we use a technique known as DNA metabarcoding. This approach allows us to detect DNA from many plant taxa simultaneously.
The resulting DNA sequences are compared against reference databases containing thousands of plant species.
After sequencing, specialized software processes millions of DNA sequence reads.
These sequences are filtered for quality and compared with reference databases to identify the plants most likely represented in the sample.
Because some plants share very similar DNA sequences, results may sometimes be identified to species, while others may only be identified to genus or family.
Participants receive a personalized HoneyDNA report summarizing the plants detected in their honey sample.
Reports may include:
• Scientific and common names of detected plants
• Relative abundance summaries
• Information about important nectar and pollen sources
• Visual charts and graphs
• Additional notes about Tennessee forage plants when applicable
The report provides a snapshot of the floral resources represented in your honey and can help you better understand the landscapes supporting your colonies.
DNA metabarcoding is a powerful tool, but it is important to understand what the results represent.
The presence of a plant in a report indicates that DNA from that plant was detected in the honey sample. However, DNA abundance does not necessarily correspond directly to the amount of nectar contributed by that plant.
For this reason, results should be interpreted as evidence of floral visitation and representation within the sample rather than as exact percentages of nectar source.
In addition to providing information to individual beekeepers, this project contributes to a broader effort to understand bee forage resources across Tennessee. As more samples are analyzed, the resulting data will help document regional and seasonal patterns in floral resource use by honey bees throughout the state. Participation by Tennessee beekeepers helps strengthen our understanding of pollinator habitats and supports future research, education, and conservation efforts.