Almond pollination is a popular time for thieves as opportunity thefts of bee colonies increase with the temperature.

Even before the bloom began a Colusa County beekeeper reported 240 hives stolen from two locations in late January. The hives are branded with the numbers 42-14 on them. According to the Colusa County Sheriff’s Department the hives were taken from two yards north of Colusa and on the east side of the Sacramento River.

The California State Beekeepers Association and others have taken to social media to get the word out and hopefully solicit some useful information that could help recover the hives.

Nothing new

Bee hive theft is nothing new says Gene Brandi, a California beekeeper since the 1970s and the president of the American Beekeeping Federation.

According to Brandi, the California State Beekeepers Association implemented a reward system years ago to combat the issue by creating a reward system for the arrest and conviction of anyone caught stealing bees. Brandi says there have been a few payouts since the program began.

One central California beekeeper Orin Johnson knows all too well about bee thefts.