Private investigator Rocky Pipkin has a favorite phrase this time of year, “if you steal bees you might get stung.”
Pipkin isn’t joking, but it isn’t bees that thieves should be scared of, it’s law enforcement and investigators like him who are hot on the trail of people who pilfer bee colonies.
This time of year, the state’s $5.6 billion almond industry is preparing for bee colonies from throughout the U.S. to pollinate hundreds of thousands of almond trees. Without it, growers could have significantly fewer almonds.
But just like last year, honey bees are in short supply. Much of the nation’s bee colonies, about 60%, have been killed by the varroa mite, an insidious pest that can pass on deadly viruses to bees.
And as the crush for bees gets stronger, crooks are getting bolder, stealing truckloads of bees to either rent the hives as their own, or sell the stolen bees to someone else.
Pipkin, who is working with the California State Beekeepers Association to prevent bee theft, estimates that roughly 500 hives statewide have been stolen this year. About an equal number were stolen last year, but Pipkin and beekeepers believe that number will go up this year.
Ryan Burris, president of the California State Beekeepers Association, estimates the loss of colonies could reach 800 to 1,000.
In Fresno County about 80 hives have been stolen this year and about 120 hives in Madera, Burris said.
“This is what we deal with every year,” Burris said. “And it continues to happen.”
Association officials estimate a single colony is valued at $450.
Pipkin is working with beekeepers to raise awareness about how to better protect their investment, including adding air tags, marking the wooden bee boxes, installing cameras and setting up alarms.
Pipkin also relies on good old fashioned detective work by developing sources with knowledge of the crime. He said some of the thefts are organized and carefully planned.
“There was a guy in Madera, a real ne’er-do-well, who was getting pretty good at stealing hives,” Pipkin said.
Most thieves will remove any identifying markings or paint on the bee boxes, as well as strip the air tags so the boxes can’t be identified.
Burris said the thieves come from all walks of life, from unscrupulous beekeepers to former workers who want to make some quick money.
Recently, a 47-year-old Sacramento man was arrested by deputies from the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office, in collaboration with the California Rural Crime Prevention Task Force (CRCPF), for stealing 172 beehives from Merced County on February 6.
And in a rare turn of events, 120 of the hives were found and returned to the owner, who is from Washington. The alleged thief faces multiple felony charges, including grand theft and possession of stolen property.
Bee association officials remind beekeepers that if they suspect or discover hive theft, report it immediately to local law enforcement and to the CSBA. Reports to the CSBA can be made online at californiastatebeekeepers.com/issue-hive-theft/ .
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A Valley native, Robert has worked at The Fresno Bee since 1994, covering various topics including education, business, courts and agriculture.