Beekeeping is on the rebound in Grand County after years of decline, but a county bee inspector is necessary for the bee population to thrive, according to a recent presentation made to the Grand County Council by State Apiarist/Entomologist Danielle Downey.

Currently, there are 10 Grand County beekeepers registered with Downey’s office in the Utah Department of Agriculture and food. She said she believes there are at least that many more, plus a few in northern San Juan County, who have not registered.

Downey appeared before the council to support a letter signed by 10 local beekeepers who are requesting that the council hire a bee inspector. An inspector could make it easier for more people to take up the hobby, Downey said.

The cost of an inspector ranges from about $1,000 to $5,000 in other counties, Downey said as she discussed a state requirement that counties employ inspectors.

The cost depends on who is available and how much a qualified person might expect to be paid, she said. But it is more than justified, Downey said, because of renewed interest in beekeeping in the county.

“Grand County agriculture and ecosystems benefit from pollinators,” Downey said.

“It’s really a fun hobby,” local enthusiast Lucy Wallingford said in a later interview.

One compelling reason to facilitate beekeeping, according to local bee enthusiast Jerry Shue, is the potential for well-managed “tame bees” to help keep “killer bees” from establishing themselves in the county.

The term “killer bees” is often applied to hybrid bee populations in which aggressive African bees mate with honeybees, or tame bees. as Downey calls them. Cases have been documented of the hybrid or “Africanized” bees swarming people who disturb them, but such events are rare and almost never fatal, Downey said. She noted that people have died from one sting while others have survived “thousands” of stings.

Honeybees and “Africanized” hybrids look the same and can readily interbreed. African bees evolved in warm areas where there are lots of predators, so they are genetically programmed to swarm on humans and animals that disturb their nests, Downey said.

Shue agreed that the danger is highly exaggerated. He compared it to being bitten by a rattlesnake. As long as they are not disturbed, he said, the Africanized bees do not strike.

But, if a tourist ever gets stung by a swarm of hybrid bees, that could lead to bad publicity, Shue said, adding that tame honeybees housed in hives compete with wild bees for food, so a large number of hives is a good thing and can help keep the hybrid bees from becoming established in the area.

The hybrid bees are coming from Arizona and New Mexico, Downey said, adding that Arizona simply “gave up” on trying to facilitate the survival of honeybees.

In Utah, Africanized bees have been positively identified in Washington and Kane Counties, and tentatively identified in San Juan County. Environmental conditions in Grand County are favorable, so it is only a matter of time before the bees are found in the local community, Downey said.

During last week’s county council meeting, council member Gene Ciarus said a bee inspector is not required by state code. Downey said the wording is confusing, but she believes the requirement does exist in counties that have registered beekeepers.