Bees targeted by thieves, complete hives stolen

Last year was quite difficult for beekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as neighboring Serbia and Croatia. Due to the long rainy period, bees did not have many good days for collecting nectar and pollen, so beekeepers estimate that many colonies will not survive until spring.

However, at the end of winter, beekeepers are facing a new problem, which is the theft of bee colonies.

Thieves have assessed that the demand for bee swarms will be high this spring, so during February, several thefts of complete apiaries were recorded in BiH, as well as in neighboring countries.

Those who lost bee colonies during the winter will seek to replenish their apiaries in the spring, so the price of a swarm in April and May could rise to 50 euros, which is at least 20 percent higher than last year.

Milan Jevtić, a beekeeper from Belgrade, lost 20 bee colonies near Belgrade in mid-February. Thieves stole complete hives with bee colonies inside.

- Thieves took the hives with bees between Tuesday, February 17, after 4 PM (when Milan last visited the apiary) and Friday, February 20, 2015 - says Milan. He does not know who might have taken his hives, but he is sure that the thieves know bees well, because transporting hives requires beekeeping knowledge.

Beekeepers often move their hives to inaccessible terrains, far from populated areas, making them easy prey for thieves. It is not uncommon for thieves to steal only honey from the hives, or even to take only the bee brood, from which they form bee colonies in other places which they later sell, writes NAP.