The Salt Lake County Bees and Noxious Weeds program, in partnership with USU Extension, provides free bee inspections, beekeeping education and best management practices, and classes for the public.
See below for more information about how to schedule a free bee inspection and find educational resources offered by USU Extension.
Take a class! Utah State University Extension offers Thriving Hive classes to demonstrate beekeeping and educate beekeepers on many topics related to bee care and health. These classes are aimed towards educating the beekeeper on the overall world of beekeeping.
The apiary program at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food conducts apiary inspections to help beekeepers diagnose pest and disease problems in their hives. These inspections suppress endemic honey bee maladies and monitor for new, exotic pests.
Honey bees are a beloved part of Utah’s history, not only providing the state its nickname, but also helping drive its agricultural success. Healthy bee populations help to pollinate crops and are an integral part of any thriving biodiverse ecosystem. However, honey bee pests and diseases have the capacity to cause grave agricultural and ecological devastation. Diseases like American foulbrood can wipe out entire colonies.
In 1892, the first bee inspection act was passed in Utah. Beekeepers were able register their hives and bee inspectors would conduct apiary inspections to help beekeepers diagnose pest and disease issues in their hives. Bee inspectors could also communicate issues like American foulbrood outbreaks to beekeepers at risk.
Although these efforts have significantly reduced the spread of diseases and pests, bee inspections are still an important part of beekeeping. State and county bee inspectors help detect and mitigate problems like foulbrood, mites, and other threats to honey bees. This helps prevent pests or maladies from becoming an epidemic, provides stability to the beekeeping industry, and ensures that bees will be available to crop growers for pollination services.
Our mission at the Salt Lake County Health Department is to promote and protect the health of our community and environment. We work tirelessly every day to prevent illness, injury, and disease while addressing social, economic, and environmental factors that impact overall health. Our efforts include immunizing children, inspecting restaurants, preventing tobacco access to minors, encouraging physical activity and proper nutrition, protecting our water and air, providing culturally appropriate services, and collaborating with our community partners to ensure public health works for all residents of Salt Lake County, regardless of where they live.