Some critics of the Book of Mormon argue that its mention of bees is an anachronism, as there were no bees in Mesoamerica during the time of the Book of Mormon (e.g. Problems with the Book of Mormon by Catholic Answers; click here for a refutation of this tract by Jeff Lindsay). However, such an argument is a non sequitur for two reasons:
1. The Book of Mormon never mentions bees in a New World context, only an Old (Ether 2:3), and
2. Mesoamerica did know of bees as well as bee-keeping itself during the time of the Book of Mormon.
In a recent paper by Jaroslaw Zrałka, Christophe Helmke, Laura Sotelo, and Wiesław Koszkul, The Identification of a Beehive and the Identification of Apiaries Among the Ancient Maya serves as another nail in the coffin the bees were unknown in Mesoamerica during Book of Mormon times. As the authors note at the conclusion:
Based on ethnohistorical data, we know that beekeeping constituted an important activity among the Maya, especially in Yucatan.
