Would-be beekeepers '˜turning to crime and stealing others' hives'

Hundreds of thousands of bees have been taken from apiaries across England and Wales since 2011.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that 135 beehives have been reported stolen to police over the past six years.

Queen bees of certain strains can fetch up to £180, fuelling speculation that the price tag has motivated the surge in thefts.

Martin Smith, the public affairs manager at the British Beekeepers’ Association, said: “As beekeeping has grown in popularity in recent years, it has become more visible to the general public. In addition, more people have decided to come into the craft as complete novices.”

Many people choose not to go on formal courses for beekeeping, he added. Instead, they are more likely to take up the offer of a hive from a stranger, according to Mr Smith.

He claimed that historically bees are usually sourced by owners from “trusted sources”.

Mr Smith said: “These two factors have increased awareness of the opportunity for theft and generated a source of customers and will have undoubtedly increased the numbers of thefts.

“In addition, beekeeping in general and the price of a colony of bees in particular have risen in cost in recent years as good colonies have become sought after.

“A colony of bees that a few years ago might have sold for £25 can now sell for above £200.”

The new figures show the police forces that received the most reports of beehive or bee thefts were West Mercia and Lincolnshire, with 14 recorded since 2011.

Lincolnshire also had the highest-value theft, with the loss marked at £8,000. Of the 42 police forces in England and Wales, only nine did not respond to a request for details about the number of beehive or bee thefts reported.

Mr Smith added: “It is a sad fact that most hive thefts are probably undertaken by beekeepers or at least those with a rudimentary knowledge of the craft.”

The figures revealed beehives worth more than £1,600 have been stolen in North Yorkshire since 2011.

In West Yorkshire, the data showed theft values totalling about £2,000, including two thefts in February 2016 worth an estimated £900 each.

Roger Chappel, the general secretary at the Yorkshire Beekeepers’ Association, said he was not aware of any evidence to suggest that the thefts of beehives were becoming a growing problem for beekeepers in the region.

“Local police forces are usually good at helping beekeepers,” he said. “But we are constantly putting out advice to beekeepers to be on the look out and be wary that it is a potential problem.”