Nearly 100 beehives vanish from California orchard, owner says. But who took them?
Nearly 100 new beehives were stolen from an orchard in Northern California last week, and their owner is looking for help tracking down the missing bees, according to the California State Beekeepers Association.
Mike Potts, owner of Pottsy’s Pollination, lost a third of his pollinating operation when thieves made off with 92 of his brand new hives at an almond orchard off South George Washington Boulevard near Yuba City last week, KCRA reported.
“It’s hard enough keeping the bees alive without someone stealing them. It’s frustrating,” Potts said, according to KCRA. “This affects the farmer, too, because there’s going to be a shortage of bees. Luckily, I have enough to cover what I did, or what we lost. But it affects the farmer, and it affects the farmers all the way in Oregon and Washington because of the loss of the bees.”
The thieves “may have made multiple trips” using a flatbed truck, the California State Beekeepers Association said in a Facebook post on Friday, adding that the suspects “loaded all hives by hand and only took some of the pallets.”
The association also shared photos showing what the stolen hives look like.
Potts described the stolen new equipment as “light gray in color with MP branded in the lid [and] on the boxes,” with frames marked “Potts” as well.
“If you have any information, please contact Kimber Leming of the Sutter County Sheriff’s Office,” the state beekeepers association said, listing the phone number (530) 822-7307.
This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 12:21 PM with the headline "Nearly 100 beehives vanish from California orchard, owner says. But who took them?."
