Diminishing Salt Lake City Bees

The honeybee is Utah’s official insect. It is admired for its immense ability for hard work. The home of the Salt Lake City Bees has been made the state’s symbol. Unfortunately the beloved honeybee is being threatened by the Varroa mite, and the bee hives may be wiped out from not only Utah, but from across the country.

Going Downhill

In addition to the mite and other bee-born diseases, the Salt Lake City Bees industry has been sidetracked due to an invasion of cheaper foreign honey into the country, mostly Asia. Beekeepers are still trying to keep their business going by rebuilding their hives. They have split existing hives in order to start new ones. It has however not been very effective for the breeders of Salt Lake City Bees, as the system of splitting leaves hives that produce less honey.

There has been a growing shortage of hives for Salt Lake City Bees. Hence the leasing of hives has witnessed a price hike. This trend could be devastating for Utah fruit growers, as farmers in California and other states take hives of the Salt Lake City Bees to their orchards.

Concern For Farmers

The shortage of the Salt Lake City Bees is a cause for worry for farmers who grow the sweet cherry. Cherries like almonds pollinate best with honeybees. It seems that the honeybees seem weaker as of late, as if they are burned out. Over the years, the Salt Lake City Bees don’t seem to work as hard and are diminishing drastically.

The drastic reduction of Salt Lake City Bees is a great concern for all farmers. Bees are an important factor in growing fruit, and if they are not there, the whole effect will be damaging. Other bee species have arrived in Utah and have shown some promise as effective pollinators.

Maybe a lot of people do not understand that bees are an important factor in growing fruit. That is why the beekeepers are indeed proud to have the symbol of the beehive on the state flag, but the beekeepers need help to keep the Salt Lake City Bees buzzing away.

Beekeeping Supplies

There are many suppliers and dealers in Salt Lake City who keep beekeeper’s supplies, and there are shops which have been doing it for the last forty years. Such shops keep all the supplies ranging from books to kits for beekeeping.

For all beekeeping adventures and especially considering the Salt Lake City Bees, there is a lot of basic information available on beekeeping. This information includes hives, beekeeping equipments and how the beekeeper can protect himself. It still remains a business in Utah, and agriculture experts are working on an improvement of the situation.