Police search for thieves who allegedly stole $150,000 worth of beehives from rural NSW property | New South Wales

Police are searching for thieves who allegedly stole beehives worth $150,000 from a rural property in the NSW Northern Tablelands. A local beekeeper says they may well have been stolen by a fellow beekeeper.

Eighty hives containing active colonies were collected from a property on Bruxner Way, 15 km west of Bonshaw and 100 km northwest of Glen Innes. NSW Police believe the alleged theft happened between Tuesday March 31 and Wednesday May 6.

The NSW Police Rural Crime Prevention Team began investigating. The missing boxes are described as primarily cream colored with blue base panels, blue and white lids, and red transparent panels.

Police are urging anyone with information, or in the area with dashcam or mobile phone footage, to contact rural crime investigators at Inverell or Glen Innes police stations, or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Mitch McLennan, of the Honey Shed in nearby Tabulam, said the alleged theft would be a “devastating” loss for the owner.

“It’s terrible, it’s a huge loss,” the beekeeper said, noting that he had an idea of ​​the demographic makeup of the thieves: “The only people who steal bees are beekeepers.”

“He’s definitely a beekeeper,” McLennan said. “Like, no one else comes in and steals bee hives…what else are you going to do with them unless you’re a beekeeper? I’d say it was a discouraged beekeeper who decided to steal someone else’s.”

McLennan said hive thefts had “become quite common now” in the industry, driven by the desperation of beekeepers who are losing their livelihoods to the varroa destructor mite.

The parasitic mite, which weakens bees, kills larvae and spreads deadly viruses, was first detected in Australia in June 2022 and has since swept through bee populations across the country.

“There were some pretty significant losses,” McLennan said.

McLennan said it’s common for beekeepers to place their hives on public land such as the sides of state forest roads, but they are particularly vulnerable to tampering and theft.

“I have a friend who has 4,000 hives and he told me pretty much every time since they had this varroa mite and everyone was losing their bees, every time they put bees on a roadside site, someone would come and remove the bees or disturb them,” he said.

“We use private property for this very reason, because on public sites, every Tom, Dick and Harry can go in there and take your bees,” he said. He keeps his bees “behind three locked doors and well away from anywhere anyone can see them.”