The Book of Mormon mentions bees or beekeeping but only twice. The first reference, in 2 Nephi 17:18, occurs in a quotation from the Old World prophet Isaiah. The second, however, concerns the Book of Mormon’s own early Jaredites: "And they did also carry with them deseret, which, by interpretation, is a honey bee; and thus they did carry with them swarms of bees” (Ether 2:3).