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Show Bee Keeping; Hobby Increases in Utah According to Edward Biacno, state bee inspector, in-spector, renewed interest in beekeeping, both commercially and as a hobby, has increased in recent years. The majority of beekeepers in Utah are hobbyists who find beekeeping a fascinating and rewarding rewar-ding pastime. Honey production in Utah Averages about 1.75 million pounds annually with an average bee colony production of fifty pounds with a high of 200 pounds recorded. Not only are bees important becauase of honey production, but also for the pollination of many plants. Bees are essential in the pollination of many agricultural crops, including in-cluding fruits, vegetables and field crops resulting in in- creased crop yields and a greater available food supply. In order to protect the bee industry from a devastating bacterial disease known as Amprionn Fnulhrnnd. the State Legislature enacted the Utah Bee Inspection Act. This act requires that all bees be inspected for disease annually and that all owners of bees in Utah register with the Department of Agriculture each year. The Department of Agriculture has been given the responsibility of administering this act, including supervision of the Bee Inspection Program. This program is carried out by county bee inspectors in-spectors and supervised by the State Bee Inspector In-spector from the State Department of Agriculture. Agri-culture. Requirements of registration and inspection in-spection make it possible for state and county bee inspectors to locate and inspect all known colonies of bees for signs of disease. As a result of this program, less than one percent of the honeybees in Utah are effected by American Foulbrood. Mr. Biacno said that through the cooperative |
