BEEHIVE THIEVES SWARM GREAT BRITAIN

Bad weather, diseases, pests have decimated British bees, making them increasingly valuable and in Great Britain, they are now experiencing an unprecedented wave of beehive thefts. The most recent case as reported in the British daily “The Guardian” are that of one million bees and relative beehives stolen from a farm near Telfor in Shropshire, twelve beehives stolen in Whitby in North Yorkshire, and three in New Forest, Hampshire. These beehive thieves (who wear masks, not to avoid being recognized but to avoid being stung) have also hit Norfolk and West Country.
David Sutton, inspector of the National Bees for Western England points out “in the past there were sometimes one or two beehive thefts, but we have never seen anything like this. Clearly, people have understood that the value of the bees has increased as they’ve become more and more scarce”. Experts believe that this is mostly theft “upon request”, commissioned by unscrupulous beekeepers whose colonies of bees have died. Tim Lowett, president of the British Beekeepers Association says: “you need to know what you’re doing when stealing bees. Beekeepers are now under fire. It’s a vicious circle. The more bees you lose, the greater their value becomes and the more likely someone will steal them from you”.