Thieves steal nearly 200 beehives from farmer in Fresno County

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators are searching for the thieves who took disconnected with hundreds of beehives.

For farmers and growers, the bees are important successful helping crops, similar the almond trees, grow.

Beekeepers commencement putting retired their hives astir January for the pollination.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office said it tin beryllium hard to support an oculus connected the colonies, particularly successful a ample tract successful a agrarian area.

Having the bees stolen from beekeepers not lone hurts their operations, but it's besides costly to replace.

"That's a batch of wealth mislaid and it's a batch of wealth mislaid successful the future," said Peter Kotseruba, a Valley husbandman and beekeeper.

Last week, beehives were stolen from a ranch conscionable southbound of Selma.

It happened aft the almond pollination.

Kotseruba shared pictures with ABC30 of the stolen hives.

He said the colonies successful the pictures are the ones that were stolen

Ed Harmon, Kotseruba's concern partner, said astir 200 hives were taken.

"It's unspeakable due to the fact that the beekeepers are retired $200 bucks a hive," said Harmon. "He's got a batch of expenses successful those hives. To get them present and get them done the pollination."

The bees play a large relation successful the cultivation industry.

"Without bees we're not going to person immoderate crops, immoderate fruits oregon vegetables," said Kotserua. "We request bees."

"The bees transportation from 1 histrion to the other," said Harmon. "Every 1 of those nuts is due to the fact that a bee visited the flower."

The bees came from retired of state. They're not inexpensive oregon casual to replace.

"You get 1 cheque from pollination which you're going to walk it backmost into the bees to get for the adjacent twelvemonth and they are expensive," said Kotseruba.

"You are looking astatine implicit $200 conscionable for the colony."

Tony Botti with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office said it's betwixt January and March erstwhile the bureau sees a batch of beehive thefts. That's due to the fact that the farmers are ramping up for the pollination season.

"Looking backmost astatine immoderate of our stats this year, I spot successful the past 4 months we've had astir 600 hives reported stolen," said Botti. "That's a worth of astir $150,000 from assorted locations."

Botti said erstwhile the bees are stolen it tin beryllium hard to way down the hives.

"A batch of times they are taken during the night," said Botti. "By the clip they move, they could beryllium dropped disconnected determination else."

Kotseruba and Harmon told Action News they are looking to tighten up information astir the ranch, specified arsenic placing sensors oregon cameras astir the area.

But it's besides different further outgo they're considering to support their hives protected.

Both Harmon and Kotseruba said they anticipation this brings consciousness to these types thefts.

The Fresno County Sheriff's Office urges radical to motion up for the Owner Applied Number program, which helps instrumentality enforcement way down stolen instrumentality and tools.

For quality updates, travel Ana Torrea connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.