Somebody Set More Than Half A Million Bees On Fire

Police want to know who burned dozens of beehives in a town just south of Houston.

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A reward is being offered to find the suspects responsible for killing more than half a million bees in Texas by tearing apart beehives and setting them on fire.

One of the beekeepers said the losses are truly staggering.
“We’re looking at 500,000 to 600,000 (bees) that have been destroyed out of that environment,” Steve Brackmann, who sells beekeeping supplies and queen bees, told CNN affiliate KTRK.
A close up of a burned hive

The bee boxes were dumped over before they were set on fire, according to the association. The yard that was vandalized was a place for those who practice beekeeping as a hobby, and people who pass by are able to view the bees and the beekeepers as they care for them.

More than half a million bees have been killed after 20 hives were torn apart and burned in Alvin, Texas.

“The intention of this yard was to help hobby beekeepers, and also to raise community awareness of beekeeping,” the association wrote in a Facebook post.

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Beekeepers “broke down in tears” when they saw a floating brood frame in the water with bees still caring for the brood, according to the association.

It is with immense gratitude that Brazoria County Beekeepers Association and those Beekeepers personally affected by the…

Posted by Brazoria County Beekeepers Association on Monday, April 29, 2019

Authorities posted several pictures showing the charred beehives littering the ground of the bee yard.

Posted by Brazoria County Crime Stoppers on Monday, April 29, 2019

Steve Brackmann, owner of Bear Creek Bee Recovery, told ABC Houston station KTRK that it takes a long time to establish a colony — up to a year for a full one — and that the queens were probably killed.

About 20 bee hives and 24 colonies were destroyed just as honey season in the area is kicking off, KTRK reported. Between 500,000 and 600,000 bees were killed, Brackmann said.

More than half a million bees have been killed after 20 hives were torn apart and burned in Alvin, Texas.

A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the vandalism, authorities said. More than $12,000 has been raised to rebuild the colonies.

Source: abcnews, cnn, BCBA 

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2 COMMENTS

  1. What a terrible person — I hope they find them. Beekeepers might need to start putting surveillance on their hives to keep them safe.

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