California thieves steal colony of honey bees
OAKLAND, Calif. (CNN, KYMA/KECY) - The City of Oakland, California has had an ongoing problem of theft, whether homes, cars or people robbed, but this is a new one.
In one Oakland neighborhood over the weekend, a thriving colony of honey bees was stolen, literally.
An urban beekeeper, Susan Donahue, advertised on Nextdoor that she'd be doing a honey tasting Saturday in front of her quiet Rockridge home, where she nurtures hives of bees on her rooftop. She bought a brand new "observation hive" so people could see the bees in action and set out three tables.
"One would hold the observation hive, another would have the honey tasting going on, and another table with jars of honey for sale," Donahue shared.
Commotion
At 10:40am, she brought out the hive and went inside to carry out jars of honey when she heard a commotion at the street.
"I heard someone say 'Hey, free bees!' and a moment pause and then I heard a car door shut," Donahue detailed.
The hive had vanished. In the end, the thieves stole a colony of over 15,000 live honey bees and their queen, which have not been recovered.
"Those bees are probably dying because whoever took that hive was not a beekeeper," Donahue expressed.
Sign of the times
Donahue feels certain the urban bee heist was a drive-by crime of opportunity, which she reported to police.
Neighbors believe it's a sign of the times in Oakland.
"It just seems senseless to me...I think once people believe they can commit crimes with impunity, meaning they're not going to get arrested, or if they get arrested they're not going to be charged with a crime or prosecuted, then everything's fair game," said one Rockridge neighbor.
The Alameda County Beekeepers Association says reports of thefts of hives in urban areas is practically unheard of, but it's more common in agricultural areas. The Fresno County Sheriff's Department (FCSD) reports thefts of over 600 hives so far in 2024 as farmers ramp up for pollination season.
In Oakland, Donahue is worried more about a loss of innocence.
"I lost a colony, and it was very heartbreaking to see the children that day coming to check out the bees, and they didn't get to do that. They learned about theft," Donahue further expressed.
