Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Insects, Insights, and Open Minds: Dr. Ric Bessin Reflects on Entomology Extension Work
72 Plays10 days ago
In this episode of Hort Culture, we sit down with Dr. Ric Bessin, who reflects on over 30 years as an entomologist with the University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service. Dr. Bessin shares some of his most memorable stories from the field, from accusations of helicopter bug drops to the unexpected challenges of working in the field. He offers advice to his younger self and to those just stepping into similar roles today, emphasizing the importance of keeping an open mind, listening to others, and adapting to new ideas. Whether you’re an aspiring entomologist, a seasoned grower, or just love a good story, this episode is packed with wisdom, humor, and lessons learned from a lifetime in extension work.
Dr. Ric Bessin, Department of Entomology
Questions/Comments/Feedback/Suggestions for Topics: hortculturepodcast@l.uky.edu
Recommended
Transcript
Insect Invasion: Home Intruders
00:00:06
Jessica
Thank you.
00:00:17
Alexis
Well, it is a warm but windy day here in the bluegrass.
00:00:18
Ric Bessin
um
00:00:20
Alexis
And with the warmth, as I stare at my desk, there are some creepy crawlies coming out of the woodwork. I don't know if it's the actual woodwork. It's probably just, you know.
00:00:30
Plant People
not like coworkers, correct?
00:00:31
Alexis
in so it is the Asian lady beetle who has decided it's warm enough to leave my home and to go back outside. And I keep looking around and finding a new one.
00:00:43
Alexis
Has anybody else been experiencing this or is it just me and my bad housekeeping?
00:00:45
Jessica
Do they also have friends like the brown marmorated stink bug that is also joining them, like in my house?
00:00:49
Plant People
We've seen those. Yeah, both.
00:00:51
Alexis
Not, not yet. I'm sure they're here. They're probably like feeding on all my house plants right now. So.
00:00:57
Jessica
We have a nice mixture of the Asian lady beetles, brown marmorated stink bugs, and i assume the cluster flies and that are all together wanting to get outside.
00:01:05
Alexis
Oh yeah.
00:01:05
Plant People
We have a few of those. Yeah. few of those. think they're all friends in my basement that I currently am recording from is they've all made friends and maybe a centipede or two and a cricket occasionally.
00:01:14
Ric Bessin
It's
00:01:16
Jessica
Oh.
00:01:17
Alexis
The three volunteers of invasive species.
00:01:18
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:21
Ric Bessin
a box elder bug.
00:01:23
Alexis
oh yeah.
00:01:23
Plant People
Oh yeah.
00:01:24
Plant People
Yeah.
00:01:24
Alexis
And the box slaughter bug.
00:01:24
Jessica
ah
00:01:25
Plant People
We're next to Elkhorn Creek, so we get those.
00:01:25
Alexis
Yeah.
00:01:29
Plant People
They're a lot of fun. Reed likes to chase those around. and he our son, he's 11 years old, and he knows what a boxed elder bug is now, so he impresses the neighborhood kids. Well, he thinks he impresses them with that knowledge.
00:01:41
Plant People
He does not really impress them. I heard not.
00:01:42
Alexis
That's going to be Jessica's boys pretty soon. They're going to be naming insects and their friends are going to be like, wow nerd.
00:01:50
Jessica
ma they They already know. They already know quite a few insects, but they're you know they're learning from the best.
00:01:52
Plant People
I know.
00:01:56
Jessica
So myself and and also and also
00:01:58
Alexis
Obviously me.
Meet Dr. Rick Besson: A Journey into Entomology
00:02:01
Jessica
and also our guest who is on today, you might have already heard him mention Box Elderbug. ah Today, we have Dr. Rick Besson. And just to get that out of the way, that he is my father-in-law, but he is the UK Extension Specialist ah for entomology for the last 34 years at UK.
00:02:21
Jessica
um So he has had a very impressive career of getting to experience all different things in the entomology world and um extension, too, getting to do so many different outreach programs all across the state probably has been to every single county in the state, right?
00:02:39
Ric Bessin
I think so.
00:02:41
Plant People
It's kind of like Lady, Lady Beatles and Boxteller Bugs.
00:02:41
Alexis
Surely
00:02:44
Plant People
He's been everywhere.
00:02:48
Plant People
Well, you know, I have to know, especially in specialized field such as entomology, I'm always curious when, you know, what makes a forester a forester? What makes, you know, ah one person or another go into this field or that? So how in the world, and I think I've bothered Jessica with this before because I'm like, what makes you a bug person, Jessica? Probably in those exact terms.
00:03:08
Plant People
But how how does one get interested and get guided into entomology? ah fields such as entomology. I mean, like, did you just always have an affinity for creepy crawlies or what, Dr. Besson?
00:03:21
Ric Bessin
No, i did not. In fact, when and i was much younger in a boy scout, one of the requirements that kept me from getting my Eagle Scout is I did not do my insect collection.
00:03:34
Plant People
No, that is like an omission of guilt.
00:03:35
Jessica
I didn't.
00:03:38
Plant People
what
00:03:39
Ric Bessin
Yeah, i I think I've been serving my penance because of that. But yeah, no, I didn't do that. But what what got me interested is it was somewhat forced upon me in that when my brother went off to college, my father looked at me and he said, you're in charge of the bees now.
00:04:02
Ric Bessin
And so that was my beekeeping training. And I have to say that first experience was absolutely miserable. I mean, I did everything wrong, but things have gotten better since
00:04:13
Plant People
And how old were you when you got put in charge of the bees?
00:04:14
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:04:16
Plant People
12.
00:04:17
Ric Bessin
then. 12.
00:04:18
Plant People
Yeah.
00:04:19
Ric Bessin
And I've been
00:04:19
Plant People
So you were the beekeeper, head beekeeper. Hmm.
00:04:22
Ric Bessin
Yeah, and I've been keeping bees since. So, and and now I absolutely love bees. I'm infatuated with bees and I'm a real beekeeping geek.
00:04:31
Plant People
that is where That is really interesting. I think bees, just in general, beekeeping and honey production has gotten a lot of people into this field.
Beekeeping: A Gateway to Entomology?
00:04:39
Plant People
And I mean, there's just so much lore and there's just such an attraction. I don't know what it is about beekeeping, but it's something super special that has had such an impact on so many people. And I've talked to so many entomologists, you know, on a national level, when you go to national meetings or or even a state level of people that have went into this field and they mentioned beekeeping. So yeah, that's super interesting.
00:05:01
Plant People
But Jessica, you looked a little shocked when he said he had not completed that.
00:05:04
Jessica
I did not know that you did not complete your insect collection, but you sure have made up it for it over the years because and I know you have like several insect collections now that um that you have there on campus and personally.
00:05:04
Plant People
Yeah.
00:05:08
Plant People
Yeah. you
00:05:16
Jessica
So, um but that, that was very surprising to me. I didn't know that.
00:05:21
Ric Bessin
Yeah, but what really got me into entomology is my father got me a job when they were living in Central America, and I i worked for a an entomologist one summer.
00:05:34
Ric Bessin
And I think during that summer, I pinned 12,000 different insects for a collection.
00:05:39
Plant People
Oh, wow.
00:05:40
Jessica
Wow.
00:05:41
Ric Bessin
So...
00:05:42
Plant People
twelve thousand 12,000. And that was for, you were collecting for a project or just because you had gotten into it?
00:05:49
Ric Bessin
Sholling, M.D.: was a company down there and they wanted a synoptic insect collection of all the insects in the area. Dr.
00:05:55
Plant People
Wow.
00:05:56
Jessica
I'm going to sell some really cool things, though.
00:05:56
Plant People
Yeah.
00:05:58
Ric Bessin
Matthew Sholling, yeah a lot of really, really cool things well it sort of set the hook in me becoming an entomologist.
00:06:06
Jessica
And then eventually trying to bring insects back into the country,
Rumors and Clarifications: Did Dr. Besson Release Insects?
00:06:10
Jessica
right? Every time you go to visit, because I actually have one, one of these right here that that Rick brought me back from one of his trips to South America.
00:06:14
Alexis
Hell yeah.
00:06:16
Plant People
oh
00:06:19
Jessica
so Legally.
00:06:20
Alexis
He was bringing them in legally. Okay, let's be very specific here for our listeners.
00:06:26
Plant People
There's processes to these things, people.
00:06:26
Alexis
you He was not trafficking in ah insects and butterflies.
00:06:29
Jessica
Butterflies. yeah
00:06:33
Plant People
Just expounding the knowledge.
00:06:33
Alexis
Although you have been um you have been accused of releasing invasive insects in your career, have you not?
00:06:38
Jessica
Thank you.
00:06:43
Ric Bessin
I have.
00:06:44
Plant People
I have never told anybody that just to clear it up, Alexis. I've never told anybody that.
00:06:49
Ric Bessin
And it was one of the insects you started off the the program with, this Asian lady beetle that gets into homes that... When this first came into Kentucky and it was spreading across the state, we were getting an and many, many different types of complaints.
00:07:05
Ric Bessin
You know, people would complain that one dropped in their bowl of cereal in the morning. And so they had to send send us an email or what one, you know, crawled into someone's nose and we got an email.
00:07:10
Alexis
and
00:07:17
Ric Bessin
So one person sent me a handwritten note saying that they had seen my planes, helicopters and vans releasing them in Eastern Kentucky as turkey foot food.
00:07:30
Ric Bessin
And it was it was a threatening letter. but
00:07:35
Plant People
And nearly it was your fleet of planes.
00:07:35
Alexis
I feel like that's like men in black.
00:07:37
Plant People
It was your fleet of planes, personally, your fleet of planes.
00:07:37
Alexis
Like.
00:07:38
Ric Bessin
yeah
00:07:40
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:07:40
Plant People
Yes.
00:07:41
Jessica
That's what you're doing in your free time, right? Just dropping.
00:07:44
Ric Bessin
if If I had a plane or a helicopter, I wouldn't use it to release beetles.
00:07:49
Jessica
Yeah.
00:07:49
Plant People
Yeah. It seems like there were some what related accusations. The beetles fed the snakes and the snakes and the turkeys populated and then coyotes and wolves came in There was this whole ecosystem destruction theory behind this back in the day that one thing fed another and then it fed another and
00:07:59
Jessica
Wow.
00:08:05
Plant People
Yeah, so that that's unbelievable. That's pretty crazy. I figured during your tenure here at the university, you've ah you've seen and seen some things.
The 17-Year Cicada: What's the Buzz?
00:08:15
Plant People
So I know that you must be full of interesting stories, having worked ah with ah an extension service, especially a university for that long a period of time.
00:08:16
Jessica
Yeah.
00:08:25
Ric Bessin
Well, you know, what what one interesting thing working in agriculture is no two years are the same.
00:08:31
Alexis
Eee!
00:08:32
Plant People
Yeah, I believe it.
00:08:32
Ric Bessin
So every year brings its own set of things that are going on. I think, and that this is the the entomology geek in me talking, that we' we got a great year coming up. We have the big emergence of the 17-year cicada.
00:08:51
Ric Bessin
And...
00:08:51
Alexis
e
00:08:52
Plant People
and That's interesting. that's a That's a benchmark for you. A great year based on the cicada emergence. That's awesome. Yeah, I love it. um it
00:09:00
Ric Bessin
Yeah. and And so we have brood 14 of the 17-year cicada. Well, if you if you look back in time, um you know, two generations, that was 1991. And that was the year that I got my my position here at UK.
00:09:17
Ric Bessin
And I got to see see them and I got to work with them. I got to do some testing with them. And when you really think about it, I was working with the grandparents of the ones coming out this year.
00:09:32
Ric Bessin
I mean, it's only two generations ago.
00:09:33
Jessica
that
00:09:34
Alexis
How does that make you feel?
00:09:36
Plant People
Yeah.
00:09:36
Ric Bessin
Well, it makes me feel younger. Talk to you.
00:09:38
Plant People
To see the kids growing up the way they have.
00:09:38
Alexis
you go.
00:09:38
Jessica
yeah yeah that's a good way to think about it
00:09:39
Alexis
Okay. That's positive.
00:09:41
Plant People
Yeah. My goodness. Yeah. and And to mark your time with cicada emergencies. ah Very interesting. done Not surprising, but interesting.
00:09:48
Jessica
very cool
00:09:48
Brett
Yeah, i was gonna most most of us are on ah a base 10 number system, but you're kind of on like a base 17 number system that
00:09:53
Plant People
Yeah. Yeah. It's an integer of 17.
00:09:56
Alexis
i
00:09:57
Plant People
Yeah.
00:09:57
Alexis
I think next time somebody asks me how old I am this year, I'm just going to be like, I'm two cicada merchants old. So...
00:10:04
Plant People
Yes, it's going to become it's going to become a thing.
00:10:05
Jessica
Yeah.
00:10:07
Plant People
We're not going to do that We're going to skip over lady beetles and we're going to straight into ah cicadas.
00:10:11
Ric Bessin
shit But but but it's it's sort of cool with the cicada because when you think about it, you know, their generation time is, you know, better than half the human generation time.
00:10:23
Ric Bessin
I mean, therere there are kids in high school that have never experienced a cicada emergence.
00:10:29
Jessica
Right. Yeah.
00:10:31
Ric Bessin
It's really unknown.
00:10:31
Jessica
I'm excited for it, but that's just, you know, the bug person in me.
00:10:34
Ric Bessin
Yeah.
00:10:35
Plant People
So this is a big one, huh? ah This is the big one.
00:10:38
Ric Bessin
that
00:10:39
Brett
Well, so we asked, we asked Jonathan Larson this, are you a cicada cicada vore?
00:10:39
Ric Bessin
This is the...
00:10:47
Brett
Do you? Do you partake?
00:10:49
Ric Bessin
Knowingly? No.
00:10:51
Jessica
Yeah.
00:10:53
Alexis
He just goes outside and munches them.
00:10:53
Ric Bessin
yeah Yeah, riding my bike with my mouth open, maybe, but...
00:10:58
Plant People
Yeah, we got on a whole tangent with ah ah him about recipes.
00:11:01
Alexis
Recipes.
00:11:03
Plant People
Yes. And I did not know that was a thing, but it became fascinating. I couldn't let it go.
00:11:07
Jessica
And if you're allergic to shellfish, please do not eat them.
00:11:07
Plant People
um
00:11:10
Alexis
Or cockroaches.
00:11:13
Ric Bessin
Yes.
00:11:13
Alexis
For those of you who indulge in the cockroach.
00:11:14
Plant People
Or you have taste buds. Don't eat them. Don't eat them.
00:11:18
Ric Bessin
But I've had people tell me, you know, a little bit of butter and some garlic and sok sauteing them.
00:11:24
Plant People
Oh, that's not fair.
00:11:24
Ric Bessin
ah No, I
00:11:25
Plant People
You could deep fry or do that process you just mentioned to anything and eat it. That is not fair. Yes. But, uh,
00:11:32
Ric Bessin
put a little bit of salt and yeah you have to season them properly.
00:11:35
Alexis
I like a good crunchy thing. I mean, I'm not a post.
00:11:37
Plant People
well then, on a future episode, folks, you heard Alexis just commit to that episode where she eats cicadas live on camera. Yeah.
00:11:46
Alexis
I mean, if they're buttered, salted and sauteed, lit. It's fine. I'm cool. I'm good.
00:11:52
Ric Bessin
yeah You know, mid-May, we can work that out.
00:11:56
Plant People
I like this. I like where this is going a lot.
00:11:57
Alexis
Sounds like we need to put it on the calendar.
00:12:00
Ric Bessin
But...
00:12:02
Plant People
have a special...
00:12:02
Alexis
Celebrating my second cicada. Actually, I was ah not quite in the universe in May of 1991. um
00:12:13
Plant People
So are you one of those that you have not, like Dr.
00:12:14
Jessica
Thank you.
00:12:16
Plant People
Besson was talking about, youre you have not experienced this amazingness?
00:12:20
Alexis
ah Apparently not. Yeah, i missed them by a couple months.
00:12:22
Alexis
So here we go.
00:12:22
Plant People
oh So what can we expect?
00:12:24
Plant People
I know this is...
00:12:24
Brett
Wait, Alexis, you're 16 years old.
00:12:28
Alexis
it's
00:12:29
Plant People
Yeah. From the last emergence, from the pre-emergence.
00:12:30
Alexis
no
00:12:30
Ric Bessin
the There was another one in 2008.
00:12:33
Alexis
That's true. Okay.
00:12:34
Plant People
Yeah.
00:12:34
Alexis
So instead of three, so i I should be three cicada ah years old.
00:12:35
Brett
Yeah. This
00:12:39
Alexis
Three cicada emergence years old.
00:12:40
Plant People
We have to get used to this new universal system of cicada.
00:12:41
Alexis
Almost. so
00:12:42
Brett
is your third one. Yeah.
00:12:43
Jessica
Yeah, figuring out how old we are by cicadas.
00:12:43
Alexis
Yeah.
00:12:44
Plant People
Yeah.
00:12:45
Alexis
Yeah, because there was another emergence last year, correct?
00:12:46
Plant People
Yeah.
00:12:48
Alexis
That was the 14-year cicada? Okay.
00:12:51
Ric Bessin
no that that that That was a 17-year and a 13-year, and it made a lot of media coverage nationwide because we had two different broods emerging at the same time in the same place.
00:12:55
Alexis
Okay.
00:12:58
Plant People
Yes.
00:13:01
Plant People
Yeah.
00:13:03
Ric Bessin
And you think about it mathematically, a 13-year brood and a 17-year brood synchronizing, and the math is daunting.
00:13:14
Alexis
Well.
00:13:14
Plant People
Are we going to see more cicadas this time around based on this emergence than then probably?
00:13:15
Ric Bessin
Wow.
00:13:21
Ric Bessin
Yeah, it's it's the central and eastern part of the state.
00:13:21
Plant People
Yeah.
00:13:25
Alexis
Hmm.
00:13:25
Plant People
Oh, gotcha, gotcha.
00:13:27
Ric Bessin
If you draw a line between Henderson and Hopkinsville, ah west of that, you probably will not see them. East of that, there's a good chance that at least somewhere in your county, there's going to be a big emergence.
00:13:42
Ric Bessin
They're not countywide, but they' they're pockets within counties.
00:13:42
Plant People
Yeah.
00:13:46
Plant People
Have you ever talked to anyone that was totally unprepared and called you?
00:13:46
Jessica
Cool.
00:13:50
Plant People
Like, I mean, not in a panic. i don't want to say. Yeah. Have you ever been like ah contacted by anyone just really in a state over these, not expecting them? Or have you ever received any phone calls like that?
00:14:02
Ric Bessin
with With the periodical cicada, no, but there are been other insects that have shown up that, you know, people are freaked out about.
00:14:06
Plant People
Mm hmm.
00:14:12
Ric Bessin
ah
00:14:13
Plant People
This, this seems like good stuff.
00:14:13
Ric Bessin
You know, for example,
00:14:15
Plant People
Yeah. Like what? Yeah.
00:14:17
Ric Bessin
well, du just, you know, a couple of years ago, well, I think it was three years ago when we had the big fall armyworm outbreak.
00:14:24
Jessica
Yeah.
00:14:24
Plant People
Oh yeah.
00:14:25
Jessica
And they just...
00:14:26
Ric Bessin
And
00:14:26
Plant People
Yeah.
00:14:26
Ric Bessin
in In fact, i I went out on a ah home visit ah with Alexis, and or there were other pictures where people would have an outdoor swimming pool, and there would be thousands of egg masses on this swimming pool.
00:14:33
Plant People
Oh yeah.
00:14:40
Alexis
Mm-hmm. but
00:14:42
Ric Bessin
And, you know, people's porch lights being, you know, inundated with moths at night and in things like that. So...
00:14:51
Jessica
That was a wild time because some people were getting like very upset how my yard is completely destroyed, but my neighbor's yard is fine.
00:14:53
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:14:59
Jessica
Why are they eating my yard, right?
00:15:01
Alexis
she
00:15:02
Jessica
And not my neighbor's.
00:15:04
Alexis
I don't know, man.
00:15:06
Jessica
Well, they reached their full, you know, they filled their bellies and they were done.
00:15:09
Alexis
Yeah.
00:15:10
Jessica
Time they got to your neighbor's, right?
00:15:12
Alexis
Sorry. You left your porch light on and there they were.
00:15:16
Jessica
You drew them in.
00:15:16
Alexis
You drew them right in.
00:15:18
Brett
they saw the They saw the Navy and Marine Corps flag out front and said, this is not a front, you know, little rivalry, the army worms.
00:15:22
Plant People
Nope. Don't want to go in.
00:15:23
Alexis
Don't tread on my lawn.
00:15:24
Jessica
Yep. yep
00:15:26
Alexis
Yeah.
00:15:26
Brett
So ah you've mentioned this kind of going out for home visits and and stuff like that. And we have some people who listen who aren't necessarily familiar, super familiar with the way extension works or they they only ever talk to their agent. And we don't have to spend a really long time on this, but I think it might be helpful or, you know, I'd be interested to just hear kind of how you think about participating in this extension thing.
00:15:48
Brett
And like if that's changed over time, but also like, What is a typical process for how does it that you end up out looking at somebody's farm or somebody's house?
Extension Work: A Two-Way Street of Learning
00:15:58
Brett
What does that look like?
00:15:58
Jessica
Thank you.
00:16:00
Ric Bessin
Yeah. and And so extension has changed over time. Extension will change in the future. ah You know, technology has really affected extension. You know, yeah we need to use technology to become more efficient. to ah to help people to to greater extent.
00:16:20
Ric Bessin
Now, in terms of my philosophy on extension, I've always thought of extension as a two-way street, that you know not only do we send information out,
00:16:28
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:16:32
Ric Bessin
But you know, when there interesting things that are going on out there and we hear about things that we want to see, we go out and make visits, not only to to help people, but also ah to learn. And so ah years ago when I went out with Alexis, that was right at the start of that fall army worm infestation and and going out to make sure ah what it was, what we were saying and making sure our messages were on target. so I learn when I when i go out to on these visits, and I also give people information for this. And so, yeah, it I think it needs to be a two-way street.
00:17:09
Alexis
Hmm.
00:17:10
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:17:10
Plant People
And I'd say cameras and things, you mentioned technology. ah but I'm sure processes, I mean, you probably came in, it I came in at a time extension almost 30 years ago. Like email was just becoming a thing. And now it's a little bit easier, isn't it, for people to snap a very high quality picture and and get to you. So you've probably seen some process changes in the way we do things, even though we're we're very hands-on.
00:17:35
Plant People
um Things change over time. That's a great point.
00:17:38
Ric Bessin
Yeah, I remember when I first started in extension, yes, we had email, but our computers had dial-up modems. You know, get you get the sound of the 14.4 kbaud modem connecting and hoping that it would connect.
00:17:53
Plant People
The original, yeah.
00:17:56
Ric Bessin
And so, you know, things have gotten a lot more efficient.
00:18:00
Plant People
Yeah.
00:18:00
Jessica
Everyone used to have to...
00:18:00
Brett
Yeah, I think I was just going to say the thing that the thing that I think is really cool just about the way that this works is that
00:18:01
Jessica
go ahead, Brett.
00:18:09
Brett
in least At least in Kentucky, it still works this way that you in your county, you have this person you can go and ask a question to. And if they in many times, they're going to know the answer. So if you have some insect issue and they've seen it a million times, they're going to tell you. But they might say, let me talk to some people and get back with you. And that's an opportunity for them to talk with you. It's just this really neat way of sharing information and sharing science with the public.
00:18:31
Brett
And I just think that that campus county connection, sometimes it's not people don't necessarily understand that like, yeah, I'm going to go talk to this professor on campus who has a really, really strong knowledge about this thing and then bring it back to you.
00:18:33
Jessica
Thank you.
00:18:37
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:18:42
Brett
And I just think that that's really cool. And obviously we lean pretty heavily into the technology and the ability to do that. But it could very well be that if you've gone to your extension office and asked for an issue with some sort of insect, that maybe your extension agent actually went and and talked with Rick and and got some information.
00:18:57
Brett
I just think that that connection of how we all fit together is something that I want people to, to see and understand because we you know, we don't keep these things around unless we appreciate them and value them. So
00:19:09
Plant People
And even as an on the inside of the service, as a county extension agent, I'm county-based now.
00:19:10
Jessica
Thank you.
00:19:14
Plant People
That was my first question. I remember distinctly coming into extension. And my first question was because I was like, oh, gosh, that I didn't have a connected computer at the time. I said, who am I going to lean on?
00:19:24
Ric Bessin
Thank you.
00:19:27
Plant People
when I don't know the answer because I quickly realized in extension that I'm not going to know the answer to everything. Big shocker. But it was ah because of people like Dr. Bess and Dr. Townsend, all the animal science specialists and all the other fields.
00:19:40
Jessica
going to
00:19:44
Plant People
That's what kind of kept me in extension that first six months was their availability.
00:19:44
Jessica
go ahead and started.
00:19:48
Alexis
Thank you.
00:19:48
Jessica
I'm going
00:19:49
Plant People
But it it took it literally took an entire organization to raise me and keep me from floundering around terribly
00:19:52
Jessica
ahead and get started.
00:19:56
Plant People
But they were always just a phone call away. But if it wasn't for people like yourself, ah Dr. Besson, I would not have made it a month because that was my number one concern. What if somebody asked me about this weird spider?
00:20:08
Plant People
And I don't know what it is. I'm going to need some help with that. But I was assured from day one from the dean. and the director of extension at the time that we had plenty of on-campus support.
00:20:20
Plant People
And that has always been incredibly important to me, not only them, but it continues to be very, very important to me, you know, having that relationship ah that when I don't know what's going on or the the situations beyond me having help, you know, from on campus.
00:20:35
Plant People
And that Brett, that's like you said, that's part of the beauty of our system.
00:20:38
Jessica
you
00:20:39
Ric Bessin
Yeah, and and none of us knows everything. You know, i don't know everything about insects. and
00:20:45
Plant People
See you, Alexis.
00:20:47
Ric Bessin
and it
00:20:47
Plant People
It's true.
00:20:48
Alexis
What? i just offered to eat cicadas.
00:20:50
Brett
Alexis thought she was the first one.
00:20:51
Alexis
Why are you picking on me?
00:20:52
Brett
Alexis thought she was the first one who knew everything, but Rick's saying no.
00:20:53
Ric Bessin
but
00:20:54
Plant People
It's just day.
00:20:55
Ric Bessin
but but but But part of extension is being able to give people timely answers, responding quickly to them. And, you know, one of the great things to teach new agents is to say,
00:21:08
Ric Bessin
no i don't know that answer but i i can get that answer for you and you know let them know you're responding to them and you're working on it i was just going to show you one thing just to show you how technology has changed and we were talking about cicadas earlier back in 1991 this was my map of where the hot spots were with the brood 14 of the cicada so you can see that that that's hand colored hey that was high
00:21:16
Plant People
Yeah.
00:21:33
Plant People
Is that hand colored?
00:21:35
Jessica
I love that.
00:21:36
Brett
Yeah. so that's so
00:21:37
Jessica
I love that you still have that.
00:21:38
Ric Bessin
That was my tip.
00:21:39
Jessica
That's great.
00:21:39
Brett
for people who are who are listening listening and not seeing, it's this a printed out picture of of blank you know counties of Kentucky colored in with like markers and there's browns and reds and oranges.
00:21:39
Plant People
that That's amazing.
00:21:49
Plant People
Yeah.
00:21:52
Brett
Yeah. The OG.
00:21:54
Ric Bessin
and And those were county agents at the time that responded to my request where where this cicada was showing up but in that year.
00:21:55
Brett
Physical media.
Celebrating Cicadas: Party Ideas and Humorous Takes
00:22:03
Alexis
i I have a question.
00:22:03
Plant People
And, and yeah, that's, that is super cool.
00:22:03
Jessica
Very cool.
00:22:05
Alexis
Are you going to plan a party where we get to all go out and scream with the cicadas? Because I feel like a lot of us need that right now.
00:22:13
Plant People
Yeah.
00:22:14
Alexis
So I'm just saying, like, maybe a program you want offer this year.
00:22:15
Jessica
Yeah.
00:22:18
Alexis
Mm-hmm.
00:22:19
Ric Bessin
Well, you know, I'm in Fayette County, and i have to say I did not see a lot of cicadas in Fayette County the last two times this emerged. And they tend to show up in the exact same places, tend to be the the very south end of the county.
00:22:28
Jessica
oh
00:22:34
Ric Bessin
And, you know, if I just showed up in someone's doorstep and started screaming, I'm not sure what the outcome would be.
00:22:40
Alexis
ah park
00:22:40
Ric Bessin
but
00:22:41
Alexis
I mean, to an extension office somewhere.
00:22:41
Jessica
yeah There has to be a location we can do this at.
00:22:43
Alexis
I'm just
00:22:45
Plant People
It would only be weird if you grabbed onto the side of a tree and shed your skin. That would be strange, but everything else is fine.
00:22:50
Ric Bessin
I'm not sure
00:22:51
Plant People
Everything else is fine.
00:22:54
Ric Bessin
i
00:22:55
Jessica
He has no comment, Ray.
00:22:55
Ric Bessin
um but for how to respond to that. hundred everybody yeah
00:22:57
Plant People
Yeah. I mean, I would, yeah, we definitely took a turn there.
00:23:00
Alexis
saying. I very and felt very men in black there for a second, so...
00:23:00
Plant People
i like that. Yes.
00:23:03
Jessica
Yes. Yeah.
00:23:04
Plant People
It's got that vibe to mean, the entomology really is, i have a big appreciation for that and people that are involved with that once again over the years, because I mean, it's ah pretty, pretty incredible. um And I'm almost afraid to ask someone with your experience and your scope of work, I'm almost afraid to ask what is your most interesting phone calls or your, an interesting like memory, like ah over the years, because I'm sure you have some good ones that you could put down on paper.
00:23:33
Ric Bessin
Okay. I have one and it's not directly insect related.
00:23:38
Plant People
Okay.
00:23:39
Alexis
so Okay.
00:23:39
Ric Bessin
So I w I was going down to South central Kentucky to this, uh, plainclothes community, you know, what a community where they don't have power and cars and things like that.
00:23:50
Ric Bessin
And then it was to work with sugar cane aphid on sweet sorghum. It was just devastating him down there.
00:23:55
Plant People
Mm-hmm.
00:23:56
Ric Bessin
And, you know, I went down there a number of times. We did some research trials and all that. That's, that's work related stuff, but At one point, a group of kids were showing me they were releasing these pigeons and the pigeons were flying over their barns.
00:24:10
Ric Bessin
And then they would just sort of seize up and tumble down the air and then fly again after about ah you know dropping 100 feet. And I said, yeah what are those? And they said, oh, these are tumbling pigeons. And I said, they're really cool. And we talked about it for a little while.
00:24:24
Ric Bessin
Then I said, oh, well, we don't have any tumbling pigeons in our neighborhood, but my neighbor has homing pigeons. And they thought that was really cool. They said, well, we've been looking to try and get homing pigeons because we want to communicate with, you know, family members across the river and across the valley and stuff.
00:24:38
Alexis
Thank
00:24:44
Ric Bessin
And it would be great if we had homing pigeons to do that. And so I said, let me ask my neighbor. And ah he he gave me eight homing pigeons. I went down there on a Saturday with my personal vehicle and I dropped off.
00:24:58
Jessica
There
00:24:59
Ric Bessin
eight homing pigeons to this community and they they really like it. They're breeding them up and they're they're they're still using them. And the interesting thing is we have to write success stories with extension. And so with with my twisted sense of humor, I wrote it up as ah ah providing i communication technology for an underserved audience.
00:25:24
Ric Bessin
and know
00:25:24
Jessica
you go.
00:25:24
Alexis
Community and economic development.
00:25:24
Jessica
Yeah.
00:25:25
Plant People
Hey, listen, he just wordsmithed that up way before AI. I just want to point that out. He had no help with that.
00:25:32
Jessica
and this wasn't that long ago, right?
00:25:32
Plant People
He came up with that himself. Oh, wow.
00:25:36
Jessica
Like,
00:25:36
Ric Bessin
this sit Six, seven years ago, something like that.
00:25:38
Plant People
Oh, so yeah, more recently.
00:25:39
Jessica
Yeah, so still like very recent, I would say.
00:25:40
Plant People
Wow.
00:25:43
Jessica
you know, that's awesome.
00:25:44
Alexis
Now I want to know how to train homing pigeons.
00:25:44
Plant People
mean, I know we're going to have so much interest.
00:25:46
Alexis
This is a new deep dive for me and...
00:25:47
Jessica
week
00:25:49
Jessica
Alexis, we could send them across the lake to each other.
00:25:51
Plant People
Not only home pigeons, but
00:25:52
Alexis
Oh, Jessica, who needs cell phones when we have homing pigeons?
00:25:52
Jessica
Communicate. Yeah.
00:25:54
Plant People
Tumbling pigeons.
00:25:54
Brett
What's their range? What's their what's their range, I wonder?
00:25:59
Ric Bessin
I know they have races with homing pigeons that go 100 or more. or more
00:26:06
Brett
Oh, my.
00:26:06
Jessica
Oh, we could totally communicate with humming pigeons then.
00:26:09
Alexis
Listen, this is changing in the game.
00:26:09
Brett
Well, I was curious. I don't know what this is about my personality, but I was more curious about the tumbling pigeons than the homing pigeons. And I just...
00:26:16
Plant People
ah
00:26:16
Jessica
if you
00:26:17
Plant People
you're talking about like the drop velocity. What's the velocity of a tumbling pigeon?
00:26:19
Brett
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:20
Plant People
Yeah.
00:26:21
Brett
Well, so I looked, i just briefly looked at it because I was curious, was it what is it like the, like the myotonic goats, you know, the fainting goats that it's not like that.
00:26:24
Plant People
It's the Monty Python in you, Brett. I know it is.
00:26:30
Jessica
Yes.
00:26:30
Alexis
yeah
00:26:30
Brett
It's like part of their flying strategy is that they, they drop.
00:26:33
Alexis
they don't get
00:26:35
Brett
It's not like they're passing out per se, you know?
00:26:35
Alexis
eight
00:26:36
Jessica
To avoid predators, right?
00:26:37
Plant People
I
00:26:38
Alexis
yeah
00:26:38
Brett
Yeah, I guess so.
00:26:39
Jessica
Hawks.
00:26:39
Brett
Descendant from like a rock dove or something like that. Anyway. So yeah, i was more more interested in the thing just dropping from the sky than communicating with other people.
00:26:44
Plant People
yeah i mean, you,
00:26:45
Alexis
things you learned from an entomologist
00:26:49
Brett
Yeah.
00:26:51
Plant People
i just I was like, how do they survive the fall when they hit the ground? So, okay. I was way off base on that, but my goodness, that was an interesting kind of related story. Yeah. that ad That you kind of went out and then sometimes these site visits, they take a turn, don't they?
00:27:06
Plant People
You go and look at one thing and end up discussing or doing another. Yeah. That's not unheard of in extension.
00:27:12
Jessica
I am.
00:27:12
Ric Bessin
what Life is interesting.
00:27:14
Plant People
Yes.
00:27:14
Alexis
you
00:27:14
Plant People
Always.
00:27:15
Jessica
You mentioned your success story and I actually ran into somebody in my county the day at at the Walmart
Monitoring Pests: Success Stories and Challenges
00:27:22
Alexis
see
00:27:22
Jessica
who you helped last summer and should be a success story through um kind of as you were talking, i have a large pumpkin grower in my community and they had some pumpkins that started dying and they ended up being squash vine borer.
00:27:36
Jessica
But what you were able to do as another part of like your job with, cause you have graduate students often, right? You have, I don't even know how many graduate students you've had over the years, so but they were able to come out and do trapping.
00:27:50
Jessica
So then you could tell that grower exactly when the squash vine borers were active and spray. And he had like, he didn't lose any pumpkins this last year.
00:28:01
Jessica
And so he actually brought that up to me this morning as we were both getting dog food um about the success of that program and wondering about more traps and how impressed he was with it. So, you know, something so simple as just monitoring pests or then having your graduate students involved to like make such a huge impact on our growers.
00:28:24
Ric Bessin
Well, I have another, what I think is a funny anecdote. You all may have to edit this out of the the podcast.
00:28:31
Alexis
but never
00:28:31
Plant People
Oh, this is the good content. Yeah.
00:28:34
Jessica
Thank you.
00:28:34
Ric Bessin
But I had to have a a procedure done in the hospital. And they they will meet wheel me into the room. You know, I'm in my gown and all that.
00:28:45
Ric Bessin
And I meet the doctor for the first time and she's wearing this mask. And I can tell she just has the biggest smile underneath the mask. I can tell in her eyes, she's really smiling. like And she goes, i know you.
00:28:59
Alexis
yeah
00:29:00
Plant People
Oh.
00:29:01
Ric Bessin
She says it again. She goes, I know you. you're You're Dr. Besson. And I said, yeah. And i'
00:29:08
Alexis
and you look at my chart i hope you looked at my chart
00:29:08
Plant People
yeah Okay.
00:29:11
Jessica
and
00:29:12
Ric Bessin
I'm in that uneasy area. but but What's going on? And she goes, I met you at the fruit and vegetable conference last year, and i asked a question during your session.
00:29:25
Ric Bessin
And my my my only response was, did I give you a good answer?
00:29:30
Jessica
you
00:29:31
Plant People
And she, were and the the doctor remembered that.
00:29:32
Ric Bessin
to
00:29:34
Plant People
i mean, yeah.
00:29:35
Ric Bessin
and Yeah. And she said, yes.
00:29:37
Plant People
yeah
00:29:38
Ric Bessin
It was like, okay, i'm I'm comfortable to proceed then.
00:29:41
Plant People
Oh, yeah.
00:29:43
Alexis
before you cut me open i need to know if you're mad at me
00:29:43
Plant People
Let's.
00:29:47
Plant People
Yeah, we need to know if ah you had a great outcome because I want a great outcome.
00:29:51
Alexis
ah feels like a meme like every time you meet see your doctor you just be like are you mad at me
00:29:51
Plant People
Yes.
00:29:57
Plant People
Yeah, the the one of the issues with extension is just that we never know, like in the in the county that we're in, it's sometimes hard to know who you've reached and what kind of impact.
00:30:02
Jessica
so
00:30:04
Brett
Yeah, i know I know you is a very scary opening. Can be a very scary. I know you.
00:30:09
Plant People
Good.
00:30:09
Jessica
Yes.
00:30:09
Plant People
Yes. Like I know you, but I can't even imagine on a state level, you know.
00:30:10
Ric Bessin
but
00:30:10
Brett
Oh, favorably or?
00:30:13
Ric Bessin
especially when you're in a vulnerable position.
00:30:16
Plant People
Yes.
00:30:16
Brett
Yeah, definitely.
00:30:16
Jessica
Right. Right.
00:30:16
Plant People
um Yeah.
00:30:18
Brett
Well, so I have a question.
00:30:18
Alexis
he's like my gown was open in the backs though
00:30:20
Plant People
Yes. It's like I felt a breeze. I'm sorry for those I may have offended. and
00:30:27
Brett
if you If you could, after after these years of spending time interacting with people, if there was a piece of information, basic information that you feel that you think you could snap your fingers and put in everyone's head that they would now know this as factual, that maybe would prevent confusion, it would prevent you know worry, it would prevent phone calls, it would prevent everything else.
00:30:49
Brett
what do you What would that be?
00:30:52
Ric Bessin
you we're We're talking about to clientele. Yeah, so
00:30:55
Brett
Yeah. And specifically about insects, not does that but be about like a philosophical question about life. ah
00:30:59
Ric Bessin
with insects and and yeah so so with with insects and This is one of the things I really try and impress on people, impress with agents and other people in that, you know, always the first step to resolving a problem with insects and the same with diseases or fertility or anything else.
00:31:20
Ric Bessin
i'm I'm talking about, you know, like soil fertility would be identifying what the problem is.
00:31:25
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:31:25
Ric Bessin
And, you know, people want to know, okay, i they they tell me what the the problem they think they have and, you know, give me the insecticides that's going to fix it. It's like, no, we need to get this properly identified because until we do that, we're just sort of guessing and ah what what we're going to do. And sometimes, you know, particularly when we use insecticides and things like that,
00:31:48
Ric Bessin
there can be some underlying costs with that. And so we want to make sure we get it right. And so the first step is always proper identification of the problem.
00:32:00
Plant People
Always, always
00:32:01
Jessica
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
00:32:01
Brett
Yeah, I've heard a ah quote that's attributed bunch of different people, um probably Winston Churchill among them, that a problem well stated is half solved.
00:32:13
Brett
And I think that that it fits here too. And it fits to what Jessica was saying about the the real boon to that pumpkin grower was literally monitoring and defining and finding the parameters of the problem, when and how, and then acting based on that.
00:32:26
Brett
So that's really, yeah, that's cool.
00:32:28
Plant People
Well, that's the public facing side of sort of the question. I'll take one step further into that question a little bit, lean into that. ah What question would you or what advice would you give your former self the first week or two on the job as you come to the university?
00:32:43
Plant People
If you could go back in time, meet with yourself for five, 10 minutes and have a cup of coffee and eat a cicada whatever entomologists do.
00:32:45
Jessica
Thank you.
00:32:50
Plant People
What advice would you give yourself, Dr. Besson? I mean, if you could go back.
00:32:56
Plant People
It's a tough one. I know.
00:32:57
Ric Bessin
No, it is a tough one.
00:32:57
Plant People
Yeah,
00:32:58
Ric Bessin
It takes a lot of self-reflection. You know, sometimes it's some of mea culpa type thing.
00:33:05
Plant People
yeah, yeah.
00:33:05
Alexis
you
00:33:06
Plant People
yeah
00:33:07
Ric Bessin
But, um you know, and and I've run into this a few times where ah so someone will suggest something and in the back of my mind, I'm telling myself, that's never going to work
00:33:24
Alexis
she
00:33:26
Ric Bessin
And most of the time that's probably correct, but every once a while, no it is not correct and it does work.
00:33:32
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:33:34
Plant People
h Yeah.
00:33:36
Ric Bessin
And so, you know, i think it's very important to, you know, ah force yourself to keep an open mind. And sometimes you think you know the answer and you know the solutions, but until, you know, you have evidence
00:33:45
Plant People
Oh, that's a good one.
00:33:54
Ric Bessin
you know, it's just a guess until that the the the data or the evidence is out there to support that.
00:33:55
Jessica
no
00:34:01
Plant People
You sort of touched on that earlier. That's perfect because you when you made the comment about you love the connection, like going out into the field and you learn from them, they learn from you, that sort of comes full circle with the statement that you you just now made. And that's true.
00:34:16
Plant People
You don't want to just jump straight ahead, give someone an answer and roll out. Sometimes it's not that easy and sometimes you're the one learning. Yeah, that's that's ah that's a great insight. That's a great insight.
00:34:26
Jessica
And you should share a little about your background. That's very interesting. i think most people find interesting is that data is really important to you because you have your master's in statistics, right?
Dr. Besson's Unique Connection to Numbers and Data
00:34:41
Ric Bessin
yeah yeah but but Yeah, I mean, i like numbers.
00:34:41
Jessica
Before going and into entomology. But, you know, it's like you said, insects were always a part of your life because you were taking care of them in different countries as well. And, um but you really have that influence of data. You like the data.
00:34:59
Jessica
Yes.
00:34:59
Ric Bessin
And ah part of that was i had a learning disability, ah dyslexic. i'm I'm very dyslexic. And so reading did not come easily to me, but playing with numbers did.
00:35:15
Ric Bessin
and And so I do like that that number aspect of things. But, you know, you you mentioned working with insects overseas. You know, I got to be a ah ah beekeeper for a while in North Africa, and that was really cool.
00:35:29
Ric Bessin
And I worked for a couple of years in the Peace Corps as a beekeeper working with ah ah communities, improving their beekeeping methods. I also got to be a private beekeeper there. And what was really cool is I took over after a former beekeeper who had died about a dozen years before.
00:35:49
Ric Bessin
But that former beekeeper was an exiled cavalry captain. from the white russian army that was a beekeeper so i got to take over his apiary.
00:36:00
Alexis
i
00:36:02
Plant People
You've seen some things and you've done some things.
00:36:02
Alexis
no where to go with that information
00:36:03
Jessica
ah
00:36:03
Plant People
Yeah.
00:36:05
Jessica
so many so many interesting stories right
00:36:07
Alexis
like what did you find there were there weird things on the hives like what
00:36:12
Ric Bessin
what What was really cool is he had a different style of beehive. He had these 22 frame bee boxes that were, you know, over a ah meter wide.
00:36:25
Ric Bessin
And, you know, these big square frames, I'm starting to see more of these these days. But at the time, i was just wondering, and I heard he was like a a cavalry captain with, with ah you know, in the army.
00:36:38
Ric Bessin
And I just mentioned this giant Russian beekeeper that could pick up the these giant, giant hives.
00:36:41
Plant People
Yeah, lifting these huge weights, yeah.
00:36:44
Ric Bessin
And that now I've learned that these are not really mobile hives, but.
00:36:48
Plant People
got I was going to say, boy, that person must be a giant. There's no problem
00:36:51
Alexis
that what do they call that style of beeh
00:36:53
Jessica
Is that like a top bar hive kind
00:36:55
Alexis
as you say is that it's like a top bar
00:36:57
Ric Bessin
No, it's not a top bar hive. It it had parallel sides on it.
00:36:59
Plant People
them.
00:37:01
Ric Bessin
And I'm not...
00:37:01
Plant People
Yeah.
00:37:03
Brett
It's like ah like a giant more like a giant version of what we are familiar with.
00:37:03
Ric Bessin
in
00:37:06
Plant People
Of the Langstroth, yeah.
00:37:08
Jessica
Okay.
00:37:08
Brett
More more like that, right?
00:37:08
Ric Bessin
yeah but But almost like four times the volume of a landstraw hive.
00:37:12
Brett
Yeah.
00:37:14
Plant People
wow yeah um fascinating i mean i did not see that one coming that's very interesting and you said uh what africanized bees or african bees over there or
00:37:14
Jessica
Wow.
00:37:24
Ric Bessin
Those were a subspecies that was in North Africa. They're not they're not what we call Africanized.
00:37:28
Plant People
oh gotcha gotcha yeah yeah yeah so not that but a different style of beekeeping altogether it sounds like um
00:37:31
Ric Bessin
this This was just on the Mediterranean.
00:37:40
Alexis
weird
00:37:40
Plant People
I was thinking it sounds more like Dr. Jones and Dr. Besson, but yeah, the life of an, the life and times of an entomologist is, is, uh, even more interesting than I would have thought.
00:37:50
Plant People
So yeah.
00:37:51
Alexis
you've gotten some fun artwork over the years haven't you
00:37:52
Plant People
ah
00:37:57
Ric Bessin
Artwork. that you
00:37:57
Alexis
artwork yeah you have you some in letters
00:37:58
Plant People
Yeah. Oh, you're talking about letters.
00:38:01
Ric Bessin
Oh.
00:38:01
Jessica
ah so
00:38:02
Plant People
and speaking of accusations, uh, of things.
00:38:03
Jessica
Some fans fans you've acquired over the years?
00:38:05
Alexis
yeah if you fans
00:38:07
Ric Bessin
but Yeah, I think you have to put fans into quotation marks.
00:38:12
Alexis
quote
00:38:13
Plant People
Okay.
00:38:13
Ric Bessin
hundred that This, you know, early on when, when BT corn was first coming out, you know, we were talking to people about GMOs and things like that.
00:38:25
Ric Bessin
And I did some educational things with, with GMOs and, and BT corn. And this is one of the responses I received talking about, uh,
00:38:36
Plant People
Oh, and we are looking at, you know, as Brett said, as ah some some folks may be listening only today instead of on the video component, but a very ah creative representation of a Frankenstein.
00:38:49
Plant People
ah You have to see this.
00:38:50
Alexis
frank and co
00:38:51
Plant People
Yes, it's Frankencorn.
00:38:51
Jessica
Yep.
00:38:52
Plant People
Yes.
00:38:53
Brett
Frankencorn.
00:38:53
Ric Bessin
Yeah.
00:38:53
Plant People
Hand-drawn.
00:38:54
Brett
Frankenstein as an ear of corn or an ear of corn as Frankenstein with the face.
00:38:56
Jessica
And yeah, yes.
00:38:57
Plant People
Yes. Yes.
00:39:00
Brett
Were there bolts on the neck?
00:39:01
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:39:02
Brett
I couldn't tell if it was just bolts or more of the...
00:39:03
Ric Bessin
Yes.
00:39:04
Brett
Yeah, okay.
00:39:04
Jessica
Oh, yes.
00:39:04
Plant People
Oh, so lots of details.
00:39:05
Brett
Yeah, the...
00:39:06
Ric Bessin
Yeah, there were both on there. But yeah, I mean, says so some sometimes people express their opinions to us.
00:39:09
Brett
Shucks covered the bolts. Bolts.
00:39:16
Ric Bessin
Right.
00:39:18
Alexis
sometimes
00:39:19
Plant People
Passionately.
00:39:19
Brett
Yeah, and that i mean that's part of what makes makes this type of work cool and fun, is that it is communicative and back and forth.
00:39:20
Plant People
Passionately and creatively.
00:39:25
Brett
and you know
00:39:26
Jessica
Yeah.
00:39:27
Brett
you know you When it veers over into threatening, like we were talking about earlier, it's not so fun. But there's sometimes where it's... you know I love this one of the really... engaging parts of public service.
00:39:39
Brett
And just like in agriculture, no two years are the same. Sometimes no two correspondences back and forth with with the public are the same, which is another way that things stay interesting.
00:39:50
Jessica
yeah Or classes.
00:39:51
Plant People
Yeah.
00:39:52
Jessica
You've taught so many different ah groups and children over the years that I know have had some.
00:39:54
Plant People
was going to say, I going to say,
00:39:59
Alexis
he
00:39:59
Jessica
Hey, I know you're laughing.
00:40:00
Alexis
full-s size candy candy bars
00:40:01
Ric Bessin
change ours ah
00:40:02
Alexis
okay to
00:40:03
Jessica
oh yeah, i forgot about that.
00:40:04
Alexis
programs
00:40:05
Jessica
ah
00:40:05
Alexis
and and tosses them out to the children ah
00:40:07
Alexis
seven o'clock at night
00:40:08
Jessica
You got to watch out.
00:40:08
Jessica
You'll get hit in the head with a full size Hershey bar.
00:40:12
Ric Bessin
Actually, that that that is one moment that I remember clearly and I i really liked that moment. we We were doing a beekeeping class for introductory beekeepers.
00:40:24
Ric Bessin
And I had some slides in there where I asked questions in the middle my talk and just see who can answer the the question if they get a right. You know, I throw them a full-size candy bar.
00:40:35
Ric Bessin
And some of the questions I ask are trick questions. So they'm I'm not expecting anyone yeah not expecting anyone to get it right.
00:40:41
Alexis
deserve the full size
00:40:45
Ric Bessin
So I have this meeting for adults. And there's this one nine-year-old girl in the audience.
00:40:51
Plant People
Yeah.
00:40:52
Ric Bessin
And my last question was a really tough question. And ah she raised her hand. So I called on her and she just answered it beautifully and was right on the money, had had a great, and I had to walk over that that candy bar to her because I was very impressed and I was very happy to give it to the that young girl in the audience.
00:41:04
Jessica
who
00:41:15
Alexis
little little beekeeper in training
00:41:15
Ric Bessin
Yeah.
00:41:18
Plant People
That was not your candy bar personally that you gave away and you had a little bit of remorse, was there? But you had to give away your your candy bar to a nine-year-old. I mean, the of all the people in the crowd, and a nine-year-old just nailed the question.
00:41:28
Alexis
deserved it
00:41:29
Jessica
Yeah.
00:41:31
Plant People
That's awesome.
00:41:31
Jessica
She was on top of it.
00:41:33
Plant People
Yeah.
00:41:33
Ric Bessin
She did, she did.
00:41:33
Brett
Well, I have a have a final question.
00:41:34
Plant People
I just want to know where that person is now. Yeah.
00:41:37
Brett
So this this podcast called Hort Culture, um as far as moving away from the insects and just asking you, do you have a favorite plant?
00:41:48
Brett
And if so, what do you like most about it?
00:41:54
Jessica
He's a plant person, so that'd be hard.
00:41:57
Alexis
you can just give us one of your top ten
00:41:57
Ric Bessin
i
00:42:00
Ric Bessin
I would i would say It's not a local plant. I'm sorry, but i'm i've I've lived other places overseas.
00:42:05
Alexis
no shame
00:42:09
Ric Bessin
And when my family lived in Honduras, I had a USDA APHIS permit to import orchid plants.
00:42:19
Plant People
Oh, wow
00:42:21
Ric Bessin
And so I used to climb trees in the jungle and and things like that, collecting orchids. And so I've always had an eye to look for them when I you know, up in trees and things like that. I still think they're really cool.
00:42:34
Ric Bessin
ah And so, yeah, orchids.
00:42:36
Brett
Do you have a ah particular favorite genus or species?
00:42:42
Ric Bessin
Oh, it was, no, I don't. ah But it it was all those really small, unique orchids that you'd find in in the rainforest.
00:42:44
Brett
Okay.
00:42:48
Brett
Hmm.
00:42:50
Plant People
Just so fascinating that you find those, as you put it, growing in trees.
00:42:50
Brett
Hmm.
00:42:50
Ric Bessin
They're really cool.
00:42:54
Plant People
And then we go to great lengths to keep them alive when we bring them out of that environment. But in their environment, they just simply, terrestrials, just kind of grow in.
00:43:02
Alexis
exist
00:43:03
Jessica
Yep.
00:43:03
Plant People
Yes. and Or you go to Florida and they exist in a ditch or on a side of a building or wherever. And then we bring them back. And very interesting. Very interesting.
00:43:12
Alexis
the best success i've ever had with orchids are the ones i've been ignoring for a year and they bloomed
00:43:17
Jessica
yes
00:43:17
Alexis
twice now like blooming and time and i'm like you are still in the same mothball i got you in from some random person not but the ones that i actually potted up in orchid bark ah most of them have died so
00:43:32
Jessica
Same.
00:43:32
Alexis
ignore your ortchids so rule here
00:43:34
Jessica
Right. I have one that's in a pot and the pot literally just like broke, but it's bloomed twice in that pot.
00:43:34
Ric Bessin
the rule is...
00:43:35
Ric Bessin
so
00:43:40
Jessica
And I have, I'm afraid to re repot it because it seems happy.
00:43:43
Alexis
and
00:43:46
Alexis
driving on abuse
00:43:47
Jessica
Yep.
00:43:48
Plant People
I know you had one final question, Brett, but i just have to ask one more. It's one of those introspective ones. You know, we've talked about the advice you would give to communities, advice you would give to yourself.
00:43:59
Plant People
How about advice to someone that's coming in, maybe in the future, coming into a role like yours into a university or specifically u k you know, your University of Kentucky, but any particular advice you would give to someone that's going to step into to shoes that are similar to yours now?
00:44:18
Ric Bessin
Yeah, I would think, you know, someone starting off in extension, this could be a specialist, it could be an agent, but um one thing that I think, one skill that I think would be, is extremely valuable to people is listening.
00:44:35
Ric Bessin
You know, the listen to what people have to say, ask lots of questions, ah always treat people with respect, I think.
00:44:48
Ric Bessin
Respect is one of those, if you want people to treat you with respect, you better treat them with respect.
00:44:53
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:44:53
Ric Bessin
And listening and and, you know, being, like we said earlier, responsive to people. um People do like it when when you get back to them quickly with with things.
00:45:03
Plant People
Sure.
00:45:04
Ric Bessin
And I think if you do those things, you're listening, you're respectful, and you get get back to them. ah to people quickly, that really helps because, you know, so sometimes particularly my role as an extension entomologist, sometimes that, you know, we just trying to improve management practices, you know, improve the efficiency, make make it more economical, something like that.
Effective Communication in Extension Work
00:45:26
Ric Bessin
But other times, you know, people are truly suffering with with issues and and, you know, showing that that that empathy and things because they are suffering and um and we are trying to help them as well.
00:45:38
Plant People
Yeah.
00:45:38
Ric Bessin
So. Maybe that was too long of an answer.
00:45:41
Plant People
No, not at all.
00:45:42
Alexis
perfect
00:45:43
Plant People
It sounds like ah that's not knowledge, that's wisdom.
00:45:43
Jessica
That's good.
00:45:46
Plant People
so
00:45:48
Alexis
that's ah how many cicada emergences worth of wisdom here people so what we're going with so so things i've learned today from the entomologist um the expert ph d entomologist is um ignore your orchids listen and be respectful ah if you're interested in homing pigeons do it there's also a thing called tumbling pigeons which fascinating and ah what was my other one oh um
00:46:20
Alexis
umve just blanked i was so excited about talking about pigeons but none of those have been insect related and this is why we love you dr bessen because of
00:46:25
Ric Bessin
So this is like, right, they come in with
00:46:25
Jessica
Mm-hmm.
00:46:26
Plant People
yeah
00:46:29
Plant People
A broad range.
00:46:29
Alexis
all you grounded knowledge
00:46:30
Plant People
Yes. Wealth of experiences over the years. Appreciate you sharing all of those. It's pretty amazing. I love the stories. Love the stories.
00:46:39
Alexis
tunisian bees coming to another episode
00:46:42
Plant People
And Calvary and just all the related stories, orchids, climbing trees and getting orchids.
00:46:42
Alexis
later
00:46:46
Ric Bessin
yeah
00:46:48
Plant People
It's going to be real hard to top that. And I'm glad I'm not the next guest or the next person talking because how do you top like, yeah,
00:46:54
Alexis
or your grandkids like the coolest stories you get to tell them are when i was your age i was climbing trees
00:46:59
Jessica
Right.
Orchids, Insects, and Legalities: An Importing Tale
00:47:01
Alexis
getting orchids selling up to the u s their yda like
00:47:05
Plant People
yeah shipping nationally or yeah just amazing
00:47:07
Alexis
fine
00:47:08
Ric Bessin
but I got one final story. ah Is there time just for...
00:47:12
Alexis
bring it oh
00:47:12
Plant People
absolutely yeah
00:47:13
Jessica
Yeah, go for it.
00:47:13
Alexis
lee
00:47:14
Ric Bessin
Yeah. Well, you know, I had that permit to import seeds and orchids. And so, i'd you know, I'd have to get them identified as species. I'd have to have someone locally declare that they're not endangered or threatened all that. And I could bring them in with all this labeling on the box and properly packaged and without any soil or anything like that.
00:47:33
Ric Bessin
And so I went through all that and I had all this stuff in there. But I also had a box of pinned dens insects in my luggage.
00:47:37
Jessica
Thank you.
00:47:40
Ric Bessin
And so when I get get to Customs and Border Control, they open up my suitcase. They find this pinned box of insects, which is not was not regulated at all.
00:47:51
Ric Bessin
And they call everyone over. They're looking at the different bugs in the box. And I said, well, I also have this box over here you need to clear. that that And it's like, oh, that's fine.
00:48:00
Plant People
Oh yeah.
00:48:00
Ric Bessin
they they wait They went back to the box of pinned insects.
00:48:02
Plant People
They were just fascinated with your insect collection.
00:48:04
Alexis
that reminds me of jessica's experience when she went through the airport with her orchids from hawaii
00:48:10
Jessica
Uh-huh. Yeah.
00:48:10
Alexis
eska you want to you want to tell him
00:48:11
Jessica
And I just kept, I knew I had to declare them. And so like every like point of TSA, I was like, I have plants. I have orchids. And they were like, we don't care. Go to the next person.
00:48:23
Jessica
And we get to the next point. And like Sean, my husband be like, come on. And like, wait, I have orchids. I am bringing plants back to the mainland. And they were like, we don't care. And so then it was finally like, right before we got on the airplane, there was like the tiniest little like checkpoint with USDA.
00:48:37
Jessica
And they were just like, Oh yeah, those are pre-packaged for airplanes. You're good. Like it was like, no big deal.
00:48:42
Alexis
you were like i
00:48:42
Jessica
Yeah.
00:48:43
Alexis
and
00:48:44
Ric Bessin
exciting
00:48:44
Jessica
But I was like claiming it as I walked through the airport because I was like, I don't want, I want to take these back with me.
00:48:45
Ric Bessin
as i walking
00:48:47
Plant People
you were pro You were proclaiming them, yeah.
00:48:49
Alexis
yeah
00:48:51
Jessica
I don't want any funny business.
00:48:51
Plant People
Yeah.
00:48:53
Jessica
And i was trying to be good, ah good steward, not smuggling things.
00:48:55
Ric Bessin
that's
00:48:58
Ric Bessin
with Well, you go through all the regulations and all the rules that you have to follow and you and you and you're worried that you're doing everything just right. then find it's like, yeah, looks good.
00:49:09
Ric Bessin
Go on. Yeah.
00:49:09
Alexis
move along let me look at these cool insects
00:49:11
Jessica
Bringing back to my cool insect that Rick brought me back from... Where were you at when you brought this one back? This cool morpho, Peru.
00:49:17
Ric Bessin
Peru. peru
00:49:19
Jessica
It took a long time to get back. And I should just say with Rick and his sense of humor, yeah he kept telling me he got me something, but it was held up in customs for some reason. and So then he just started telling me for months that he got me a hair hairless Chilean dog, right?
00:49:34
Jessica
Or something like it like that And like he was just like...
00:49:34
Plant People
Perfect.
00:49:37
Alexis
you're like no thank you
00:49:38
Jessica
Your hairless dog is still hung up in customs. Maybe one day you'll get it.
00:49:41
Plant People
This poor dog. And indeed, folks, it is this beautiful iridescent blue butterfly.
00:49:45
Jessica
Bright blue butterfly.
00:49:46
Plant People
What was it again? It's beautiful, whatever it is. It's gorgeous. That's what we're looking at now is this beautiful blue butterfly.
00:49:51
Ric Bessin
It's a morpho butterfly. And so was brought in properly and and Customs and Border Patrol held onto it for three months.
00:49:54
Plant People
Yeah, more folks.
00:49:57
Jessica
Right. um for people
00:50:01
Ric Bessin
But...
00:50:01
Plant People
Yeah.
00:50:02
Ric Bessin
e
00:50:02
Plant People
What you didn't see was a disappointment that it wasn't a hairless dog, the disappointment on her face.
00:50:05
Jessica
Right.
00:50:06
Plant People
Yeah. What a great
00:50:08
Alexis
i
Reach Out: Dr. Besson's Contact Information
00:50:09
Plant People
discussion.
00:50:09
Plant People
Yeah.
00:50:09
Alexis
yeah i i don't know about jessica with a hairless dog but anyway good stuff folks we're trying to get some of these pictures that we've talked about ah up on our instagram so you can find it ah at hort culture podcast
00:50:24
Plant People
Yes.
00:50:26
Alexis
ah you can also shoot us an email or if you just want to tells a cool story about you going through customs with something totally legal of course ah feel free to shoot us an email you can find that down there in the show not and dr bessson is located on the university of kentucky entomology website if you have an actual entomology question or maybe a homing pigeon question you know you can at least reach out all he can do is
00:50:51
Jessica
Thank you.
00:50:52
Alexis
send you to somewhere else someone else right but he'll get you he'll get you respectfully ah
00:50:58
Plant People
Responsibly handled, yes.
00:50:58
Alexis
fixed up he's respectfully handled so we really appreciate you being on dr bessson and we'll have to have you on again for more of your good stories but that's all for today folks thanks for being here with us