- A fire destroyed a honey factory, leaving a beekeeper without a winter home for the bees.
- David Bench highlights winter challenges for bees, focusing on mite control.
- Local beekeepers support each other; Utah's recent seasons have been difficult.
SOUTH JORDAN — After a massive fire destroyed a honey factory and left an American Fork beekeeper without a home for his bees, a local expert shared insight about how to care for bees during the winter and how this beekeeper and business owner can recover.
Commercial beekeeper David Bench knows his way around bees and the people who tend to them.
"You kind of got to be a people person as well as a bug person," he said.
Bench monitors thousands of bees each year.
Though harvest time is over, winter is a critical time for the creatures.
"The cold isn't really what kills them," he said.
Bench said the real challenge is mites.
"You've got to keep your mite counts low, and that is really hard to do," Bench said. "You're trying to get rid of a bug on a bug."
During the colder months, bees tend to stay inside.
"You put the lid on. The bees will cluster into a ball. They stay warm," Bench said. "They keep that little center of the ball 90 degrees. They rotate in and out. Slowly, they warm up the honey. They're eating their way through it."
His bees are transported to California to pollinate almonds, but some beekeepers, including Prenten Frazier of Beehive State Honey, keep theirs inside. However, a fire destroyed his bees' winter home early Sunday.
"it's got a controlled environment (keeping the bees inside), that way the bees don't eat as much, because they keep it a certain temperature," Frazier said. "It's dark. They don't fly. It's one other way to help preserve the bees through the wintertime."
Frazier's bees survived the flames, but the loss of equipment and his hangar is detrimental to his business.
"It's a huge cost to a beekeeping operation," he said. "It's probably not the best if you want to become really rich; don't do bees."
Every beekeeping season is different. Bench said the last few seasons have been more difficult in Utah.
"We lost a lot of bees. Utah particular," he said.
Bench said there are hive losses for a multitude of reasons.
"Being a desert, it's not the greatest place to recuperate," he said.
He said this is why it's extra important that Utahns support their local beekeepers.
"Every third bite of food you eat comes from a bee," Bench said.
And in turn, local beekeepers support each other.
"We teach each other. We learn together," Bench said.
Bench said local keepers are ready to help Beehive State Honey.
"Give us a call," he said.
