SALT LAKE CITY — The number of beekeepers — particularly those who have adopted beekeeping as a hobby — is on the rise in Utah. A lawmaker wants to eliminate the need for that growing number of beekeepers to register their bees.
Rep. Marc Roberts, R-Santaquin, is sponsoring HB115 that eliminates the need for beekeepers to register their bees.The law currently says that it is unlawful, and could be considered as a class 3 misdemeanor, to keep bees in the state of Utah without proper registration.
Roberts said that there is no need for a registration, and believes that there are many beekeepers who are not aware of the current law. “I find it ironic that in the Beehive State there would be such restrictions to beekeeping,” Roberts said.
Sarah Taylor, a beekeeper from Roosevelt, has had her bees for five years, and was surprised when she found out Utah’s registration law for beekeeping.
“When I bought my bees, no one mentioned that I needed to register,” she said.
Chris Rodesh, a Salt Lake County bee Inspector, explained that there are still valid reasons why people might register their hives. “The main reason we ask people to register is to create a method of monitoring bee diseases,” he said.
Rodesh also explained that if a hive is found in the middle of nowhere, the inspectors would only have to look at the registration to identify who the beekeepers are. “If there is a problem, we have a way to get back to the beekeeper,” he said.
The bee inspector also said that people are not required to have their bees inspected. As a bee inspector, Rodesh said that their are no repercussions if he comes across an unregistered beekeeper. Instead, he tells the beekeeper that they could register and gives them the information to do so.
The Salt Lake County bee inspectors have estimated the number of registered beekeepers in the state of Utah to be above 50 percent. He believes that there is a growing number of beekeepers who are becoming more aware of registration rules.
Rodesh also has some concerns with how this bill might effect their organization. “If they eliminate the registration, the support for everything else we do is no longer relevant and the state won’t think we have an important endeavor. There also won’t be a source to go to solve any beekeeping problems.”
Like Roberts, Rodesh understands that there is a push for change because this law appears to have no value. However, he also thinks that this change might upset some Utah cities because it would be difficult for them to have separate beekeeping laws from the state.
The bill was introduced and had it’s first reading Jan. 25, 2016.
