SPEARFISH, S.D. (AP)--To beekeepers all over the nation, honey manufactured in South Dakota is among the best in the world because of its light color and mild, yet sweet, flavor.

This is because here, and especially around Redwater Creek, bees feed off of nectar produced from alfalfa and sweet clover.

Black Hills Honey Farm owners Mitch and Lisa Irion found their niche in producing local honey and marketing beeswax products four years ago. Lisa was homeschooling her daughters when she read that her neighborhood, specifically around the creek, was a perfect location for honey production and pollination.

"Homestake was closing," Mitch Irion said of how he was about to lose his job. "We needed to find something different to support the family."

He continued by remembering how Lisa was studying beekeeping with their daughters. "We thought, 'hey lets give it a shot.'"

Since 2001, the Irions have built a residence on an acreage near Old Belle Road and have spent hours in the spring and summer time busily keeping track of their nearly 1,200 hives.

Mitch will also drive back and forth from Merced County, Calif., in the spring to purchase his hives and queen bees. Merced County contains almost 2.5 million of the 11 million hives in the United States.

This may sound like an easy and profitable occupation, but the Irions would have to disagree.

Since their first year of producing honey, the drought in South Dakota has gotten worse and without rain, nectar in plants and flowers stay at the bottom of the plant, making it difficult for the bees to get at it.

That makes it difficult for the bee to pick pollen up and deposit it on the stigma of another flower. This practice, known as pollination, is extremely important in agricultural production of all sorts, including the yielding of honey.

Drought isn't the only setback.

You'd think that because South Dakota has some of the best honey around, our grocery markets would be jumping all over it. This isn't the case at all.

Most of the honey sold here and throughout the United States was imported directly from China and Argentina at a cost far below what it costs American farmers to produce it, let alone market it and ship it to grocery stores.

Does it even have the same flavor?

"No, in fact it's got a darker color and it tastes horrible. To make it taste better and lighten it up, they mix in our American honey. Now, that is ridiculous," Mitch Irion said. "For all commodities, whether it's cattle, honey or even dairy we need to use our products first and then import what we need."

The frustration is high for the Irions, but they have no future plans to give up.

"Beekeeping is necessary in today's world. We know it's hard work, but there is a shortage of beekeepers because of the importing standards and we feel like we have to," Lisa Irion said. "If we aren't going to do it, who will? We constantly look ahead and see where we are going to be in five years-- and we're optimistic."

Inappropriate trade regulations aren't all that beekeepers have working against them. Nature can be a beast in itself at times, and for beekeepers it is an expensive annoyance.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported that 190 working beekeepers live in South Dakota and there is an estimated 210,000 beekeepers throughout the United States.

Most share concerns over the vast spreading of the Varroa mite. This visible parasite alone can infect an entire hive within days, forcing worker bees to fly with difficulty and shortening their life span. Throughout the United States, beekeepers struggle to find a natural solution to this problem.

Another issue the Irions, along with many others, face is the continued use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture. The Irions have about 22 locations throughout the Northern Hills where they set around 45 different hives.

When a farmer is about to spray, Mitch and Lisa must go out to those hives and remove them to avoid contamination, otherwise the bees will die.

"In 1950 there were 11 million hives throughout the United States and today there are only 2.5 million because of herbicides and pesticides, but also because of this mite," Mitch Irion said.

"In 2001 pollination prices were at $42 a hive and now it's $150 a hive," Mitch Irion said of his increase of costs.

For them, it is a tough business because by the time they reinvest in the equipment, the two are lucky to break even.

So what can be done? The Irions, along with all other honey production businesses, need people to purchase American honey. Granted, the imported honey will cost less, but in the end, if America loses its honey bee population, the price agriculture producers will have to pay will be incredibly high.

Most need the income at this point to simply replace the nearly 45 percent of dead hives that occur each year.

"We need to buy new packages, queens, replace old boxes and buy new frames for the hive," Mitch Irion said about his added expenses. "These things add up and still we do everything we can to just keep our heads above water."

They do want people to know that their occupation is satisfying to them. Their hope is by getting more information to the public about this growing problem there will be a sense of urgency among South Dakotans and Americans to buy local and support the industry.

"Every third bite of food we have at a meal exists solely because of honey bee pollination," Mitch Irion said. "What are we going to do when they are gone?"