The new crime wave is being fuelled by the decimation of the bee population, thought to be due to disease and recent wet summers.
Bill Seddon, managing director of the Gardien security web site, which specialises in garden theft, warned apiarists: “We are receiving reports almost daily now of attacks on beekepers’ properties across the country.
“Recent incidents have been spread as far as Staffordshire and Whitby on the East coast. These criminals who are stealing multiple hives clearly have knowledge of how to deal with bees and a lucrative black market trade is emerging.
“It’s a double whammy for bee keepers who are losing not only their bees but a crop of honey as well, and with it their livelihood”.
The pollination of crops by bees is worth up to GB pound 200m a year to British farmers and the indirect contribution to the food industry is estimated at GB pound 1 billion.
The shortage of bees could create an eco-imbalance if numbers are further affected and this concern recently resulted in the government making a significant investment in the beekeeping industry and research.
Seddon said: “Beekeepers need to review their site security as a matter of urgency. There is much to be done to minimise the risk and with the value of many hive contents running into thousands of pounds it makes good commercial sense”.
He recommended good perimeter protection and lighting, plus CCTV “for larger sites where power is available.
“Hive lids should be secured with good quality padlocks and hasps or secure braces to the floor, DNA property marking should be considered and preventative signage to let the thief know the owner is security aware. Insurance cover should also be examined”.
The Gardien website www.garden-security.co.uk is a comprehensive garden security resource and includes advice on crime prevention, retrieval, cataloguing and insurance.
