Many thefts of beehives in France due to cut-throat competition

There is cut-throat competition among beekeepers in France because France’s 60,000 professional and amateur beekeepers are unable to keep up with demand for their product as there is a 35% annual death rate of bees due to pesticides, global warming and Asian hornets. The cut-throat competition is leading to the theft of beehives. This is in complete contrast to the image people normally have of beekeepers going about their business in a peaceful and calm manner. It appears that the hobby or business has degenerated into one where they steal from each other.

Beehive theft is high in France due to bee numbers decreasing

Beehive theft is high in France due to bee numbers decreasing. Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Wallace's giant bee
This is a very rare, critically endangered, bee species found in Indonesia which is enormous and because of its rarity ...
Read More
Bees enjoy playing with balls apparently
A research study published in the journal Animal Behaviour found that bees are not mindless robots but are probably sentient ...
Read More
In July 2014, Morgan Freeman started to become a beekeeper and subsequently into bee conservation due to their decline. The ...
Read More

In the Occitanie region of southern France, 157 hives were stolen in seven days during March 2020. It is believed that that kind of theft has been repeated in other regions of provincial France. Local papers are reporting this kind of theft on a weekly basis.

A beekeeper of 50 hives, Pauline Girie, of Thodure in south-west France walk up one morning to find that half of her hives had been stolen. She said: “I was stunned. I had to sit down. We take care of our bees, our hives, it’s a lot of work and someone comes along and ruins everything in one night.”

You may also like...