Someone has robbed a Clarence Valley beekeeper of an entire apiary, the latest in a run of bee heists across the region as the industry claws its way back from flood damage and a mite plague that has wiped out more than half the nation’s hives.
Police are investigating the theft of 18 beehives, complete with active bee colonies, from a property on Wooli Road at Pillar Valley, some time between 12.30pm on Friday, 24 April and 9am on Tuesday, 28 April.
Investigators from the Rural Crime Prevention Team have been told the stolen boxes and colonies are worth more than $8,000. The polystyrene hives come in a mix of colours, including forest green, eucalyptus green, sky blue, pollen yellow and lavender, with images available on the team’s Facebook page.
It is the latest in a string of beehive thefts across northern NSW in recent years. In May, thieves made off with 80 beehive boxes worth an estimated $150,000 from a property on Bruxner Way near Bonshaw, one of the biggest bee heists on record. Native stingless bee colonies have also been stolen repeatedly from community gardens and beekeeping suppliers around Coffs Harbour and Woolgoolga over the past three years.
The spate of thefts comes as the beekeeping industry battles to recover from both flood damage and the varroa mite, a parasite that has wiped out more than 60 per cent of hives across the eastern states and South Australia since it was first detected in 2022. Industry estimates suggest as many as half of Australia’s beekeeping businesses could be forced out of the sector, with honey bees contributing an estimated $14.2 billion a year to Australian agriculture through pollination.
Anyone with information about the Clarence Valley theft is urged to contact Rural Crime Investigators at Coffs Harbour Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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