Massive beehive theft, one of Fresno County’s largest, results in man’s conviction
A Sacramento man Thursday was sentenced in Fresno County Superior Court to four years probation and ordered to pay $13,000 in restitution for his role in the theft of more than 1,200 beehives.
The 2017 theft was one of the largest in the region. It involved the heist of hives from 10 different beekeepers over a two-year period. The value of the stolen hives was estimated at $200,000.
Beehives have become an attractive commodity for thieves as the demand for pollination grows from the state’s almond industry, valued at $6 billion in 2019.
Fresno County, home to more than 264,000 acres of almonds, has become a hot spot for thefts.
Nearly three years ago Fresno County Sheriff’s ag crimes detectives found Pavel Mihauloviz Tveretinov and Vitaliy Yeroshenko, both of the Sacramento area, tending more than 100 stolen beehives in an orchard near Central and Temperance avenues in Fresno.
Further investigation found they were in control of 1,200 hives. Both men were arrested and faced up to 10 years in prison if convicted on all charges.
Yeroshenko ultimately was the only one to accept his punishment. He pleaded no contest Nov. 5 to three counts of receiving stolen property. His sentence could have been much tougher, if there was evidence showing he was involved in the theft of the hives, said Judge Heather Mardel Jones.
Still, Yeroshenko was found in possession of the stolen hives. His attorney Ryan Friedman of Sacramento said in an interview Thursday that Tverentinov was more involved, but he died in August of cancer.
Friedman said his client did not steal the hives. “It was a tough situation to be in for him (Yeroshenko),” Friedman said. “The way it looked, he was guilty by association. He realizes now he exercised poor judgment to be associated with him (Tverentinov).”
One of the beekeepers who will receive $10,000 in restitution for his stolen hives was thankful for the settlement. Tim Balzhyk, owner of Desert Valley Honey in Phoenix, estimated his losses added up to at least $20,000.
“The District Attorney’s office explained to us that the guy who took the hives had died so it was going to be difficult to get back what was stolen,” Balzhyk said.
For beekeepers, combating bee thieves has become as common as trying to protect their colonies against parasitic insects, deadly pesticides and mysterious diseases.
“As quickly as I can unload my bees, someone else can come in at night and load them onto their truck,” he said. “It’s kind of crazy. But that’s the bee business.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
