Beekeepers warned after another theft in region

BEEKEEPERS WERE remaining vigilant last night following the theft of three queen bees and 45,000 working bees in Angus.

Police are refusing to rule out a link between the Angus incident and the theft of a large quantity of working bees in Perthshire.

“We wouldn’t rule out the possibility that they are linked,” a Police Scotland spokeswoman said yesterday.

Thefts have been on the rise across the UK and Europe in recent years due to a national shortage of bees.

The Angus theft is said to h av e happened between midnight on Saturday March 29 and midnight on Sunday April 20.

Three queen bees and approximately 45,000 working bees along with three honeycomb frames were taken from a wooded area in Craichie by Forfar.

Police said whoever moved the bees would have to have specialist knowledge of handling them.

Bees were also stolen from a farm in Coupar Angus, Perthshire, between 11am on Saturday April 19 and 12pm on Sunday April 20.

Six queen bees and a large quantity of working bees along with 18 honeycomb frames were taken.

Three years ago several thousand bees that were part of a multi-millionpound research project in Dundee were stolen.

The British black bees, worth between £3,000 and £3,500, were taken from the grounds of Ninewells Hospital.

They were contained in four hives and were being used in a £2m neuroscience study at Dundee University.

The shar p decline in Britain’s honeybee population following the arrival of varroa mites and consecutive harsh winters has led to premium prices for top-quality bees and a black market trade in stolen hives.

Europe’s population declined by an average of 20% between 1985 and 2005, with the sharpest declines registered in England, Sweden, Germany and Austria.

A nyo n e with a ny information that may be useful should contact police on 101.