800,000 bees stolen in Australia; thieves left honey and took colonies

More than 800,000 bees have been stolen from commercial hives across Far North Queensland in a series of unusual thefts that appear to have targeted the living colonies rather than their honey. The stolen bees belonged to at least three beekeepers on the Atherton Tablelands, west of Cairns, with 44 colonies reported missing. The bees and associated colonies are estimated to be worth tens of thousands of Australian dollars, while beekeepers also face losses from honey production and pollination contracts. What makes the thefts particularly unusual is that the perpetrators reportedly removed bees, queens, brood and frames from hives, then reassembled the boxes and left the honey behind. Police suspect the operation may have involved someone with commercial beekeeping experience.More than 800,000 bees missing from 44 coloniesThe scale of the theft became clear after commercial beekeeper Jack Laughton discovered 14 empty hives at a property near Kairi on September 10. Another 27 hives were subsequently found without their bees at Mutchilba, while a further four hives were reported stolen on the Tablelands, according to local reporting. Tom Bidner, an apiarist from the Atherton Tablelan...