It is unclear why Church leaders preferred Deseret and the hive to other possible names and symbols, and why they associated the hive with the older symbolism of the kingdom of God. Leaders included the American importance of industry in their discourse on the hive and the deseret, but the symbolism of the kingdom of God was highly preferred. Perhaps they chose Deseret because of its association with a promised land, or they liked the uniqueness of the name. They knew the desirable characteristics of the bee: its orderly society, its ability to sting enemies, and the contribution of many workers in the hive. Bees as pollinators would help the desert bloom like the rose. The royal bee could represent both the prophet or a local leader and God. Perhaps Brigham Young or another primitive saint had an affinity for the symbolism of the hive because of the local culture of New York: the hive is part of the iconography of the city of Ithaca, New York,18 which was not far from the cradle of Mormonism. Kirtland`s converts, particularly Isaac Morley, had been associated with Robert Owen`s social views; The Owenites believed in economic cooperation and used the bee as a symbol.19 Perhaps the saints` association with Freemasonry played a role;20 in Nauvoo were many Church leaders, including Brigham Young, Freemasons, and the hive is an important symbol among Freemasons. Whatever the reason for this choice, Brigham saw the Church as the kingdom of God on earth, he wanted to prepare his people for the Lord`s Second Coming, and he felt it was appropriate to use the hive and Deseret to guide his people. Utah is known as the “Beehive State” and depictions of hives can be found in various utah signs, monuments, and buildings.

The Capitol has various hive decorations, but the most important are two hive sculptures located on the Grand Staircase on the south side of the Capitol. These sculptures were presented to the state of Utah on July 24, 1976 by the Kennecott Copper Corporation. These sample sentences are automatically selected from various online information sources to reflect the current use of the word “hive.” The opinions expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us your feedback. The industry was adopted by Utah in 1959 as the state motto. It is inscribed on these statues as well as on the seal and flag of the State of Utah. When the pioneers arrived in Utah, there were no other immigrants living in the area. They could source some of them from Indian tribes, but had to rely heavily on themselves to create their own resources and businesses. This idea of the industry is related to the same hive symbolism that the community came together to help each other and create an industry that not only existed, but also grew significantly. Traditional hives simply provided an enclosure for the bee colony. As no internal structure was provided for bees, bees formed their own honeycomb in the hives. The comb is often attached transversely and cannot be moved without destroying it.

This is sometimes called a fixed frame stick to distinguish it from modern movable frame sticks. The culture usually destroyed the hives, although there were some adjustments with additional top baskets that could be removed if the bees filled them with honey. These were gradually replaced by boxed hives of different sizes, with or without frames, and eventually replaced by new modern devices. The bee symbolism used in the sermons of the 1850s described the pious society the Saints wanted to build. Example: Lifter C. Kimball said, “We are the kingdom of God, we are the STATE OF DESERET.” 13 Brigham Young used the hive to chastise some: “It seems that there are many drones in the hive that are determined to tie the hands of those who govern the affairs of this kingdom, and the sooner they are thrown out, the better.” 14 Parley P. Pratt spoke of inheritance and the priesthood in 1853, saying, “All the intelligences that exist possess some degree of independence in their own kingdom. For example, the bee can go in search of honey at will or stay in the hive. He can visit one flower or another, as independent in his own sphere as God in his own sphere.

15 Orson Pratt said in 1852, “And what will he do when this [world] is full? Well, it will create more worlds and swarm from the old hive like bees and prepare new places. 16 bees continue to have a place in Mormon hymns, literature, and sermons.17 Black bears destroy hives in search of larvae rich in honey and protein. [46] Grizzly bears also eat hives and are more difficult to deter from taking multiple hives. [47] Honey from traditional hives was usually extracted by pressing – the honeycomb wax crushed to squeeze the honey. Because of this harvest, traditional hives usually provided more beeswax, but much less honey than a modern hive. For the saints of the nineteenth century, there was little separation between the sacred and profane use of Deseret and the hive. The name and logo appeared everywhere: on architectural features, in publications, in songs and poems, on tombstones and much more. Not surprisingly, the hive appears on the salt lake, St. George, Manti and other temples. The hive logo often appears next to the words “Holiness to the Lord.” 21 Natural hollows and artificially dug tree trunks were widespread in the past by beekeepers in Central Europe. For example, in Poland, such a hive was called Barć and was protected in various ways from adverse weather conditions (rain, frost) and predators (woodpeckers, bears, pine martens, wooded sleepers). Harvesting honey from them did not destroy the colony, because only a piece of protective wood was removed from the opening, and the smoke was used to temporarily calm the bees.

[18] [17] Archaeologist Amihai Mazar cites 30 intact hives discovered in the ruins of the city of Rehov (2,000 inhabitants in 900 BC, Israelites and Canaanites). This is evidence that an advanced honey industry existed in Israel about 4,000 years ago. Hives made of straw and unfired clay were found in orderly rows with a total of 150 hives, many of which were broken. Ezra Marcus of the University of Haifa said the discovery offers insight into ancient beekeeping, which can be seen in ancient Middle Eastern texts and art. An altar decorated with fertility figures was found next to the hives and could indicate the religious practices associated with beekeeping. Although beekeeping is older than these ruins, it is the oldest apiary discovered to date. [10] In enlightened Europe, and even more so in the young United States, symbolism has been transformed to reflect a new democratic ideology. The focus on the royal bee has been abandoned and the emphasis has been placed on the contribution of each worker bee to the community. The bee and hive symbolized industry, economic well-being and civic order. In the United States, the hive appears in works of art, on currency,9 and in social and commercial publications. Michael Hunter explained how the hive was Americanized: “Often the American eagle sat on or near the hive, which clearly indicated that the hive represented the new republic.” 10 The hive is a symbol commonly used in various human cultures.

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