Utah Beekeeping Resources
The Utah Apiary Program (through the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food) conducts apiary inspections to help beekeepers diagnose pest and disease issues in their hives. They also manage and maintain hive registrations for the state of Utah. The Apiary Program is here to help, not hinder beekeepers in their endeavors. Bee inspectors are available to assist beekeepers in Utah. As a beekeeper, it is your responsibility to register your hives, and call your county bee inspector if you have concerns.
County Inspector Contact ListUDAF Apiary Program:
(801) 982-2313
UDAF-Insects@utah.gov
Why should I register my hives?
- Health inspection and lab testing services.
- Alerts regarding outbreaks of American foulbrood or other diseases or pests of concern in your area.
- Warnings if there are movements of Africanized honey bees in the state.
What are the benefits to the Beekeeping and Specialty Crop Industry?
Honey bee pests and disease have the capacity to cause great economic devastation. State and county bee inspectors help detect and mitigate these problems. These early detection and rapid response efforts help prevent the maladies from becoming epidemic. This provides stability to the beekeeping industry and ensures that bees will be available for pollination services to crop growers.
What happens to the registration fees?
The modest registration fees are used to provide sanitation supplies to bee inspectors, dispose of abandoned beekeeping equipment and assist with the treatment or destruction of colonies infected with American foulbrood. Fees also provide funds for statewide honey bee health surveys and Africanized honey bee monitoring.
Purpose of Beekeeper Registration flyer
How to register your hives
All beekeepers are required to register with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, and follow all laws and regulations. Registration funds help to retain UDAF county bee inspectors who work to insure that we have healthy hives in Utah.
Remember licenses must be renewed annually.
Beekeeping history in Utah
In 1892, beekeepers successfully lobbied the Utah territorial legislature to pass the first bee inspection act. The legislation was needed to reduce the spread of deadly foulbrood diseases, which had become rampant.
The law allowed beekeepers to elect a honey bee inspector in every county. Later, registration was introduced to help bee inspectors communicate American foulbrood outbreaks to beekeepers at risk. These efforts significantly reduced the spread of foulbrood.
Over a century has passed since the first bee law, but inspection is still relevant today! Despite the advent of antibiotics and other advances in beekeeping, American foulbrood continues to threaten beekeepers and Utah's honey industry. Registration and inspection serve to mitigate the spread of this disease and other threats to honey bees.
What are the Utah Laws concerning beekeeping
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