Theft of beehives
Northland District Headquarters
88 Cameron Street, Whangarei
Wednesday September 30, 2015
Police are asking the public to report any sightings of beehives being transported on trailers and utes following some
thefts of beehives in Northland.
In the last month there have been two cases of beehive theft. On Saturday September 26 a beekeeper discovered six
beehives had been stolen from a property on State Highway One at Kauri, north of Whangarei. The hives were last seen on
Thursday September 24. In the second incident a beekeeper found that between 20 and 22 hives had been stolen from a
property on State Highway 10, Oromahoe. The theft had occurred overnight from Saturday September 19 to Sunday September
20.
In May this year Police noticed an increase in beehive thefts in the Far North area including Kawakawa, Kerikeri, Kaeo,
and Kaikohe. At that time Police believed the thieves were acting during the hours of darkness when bees had returned to
their hives and there was less opportunity to be seen by nearby farmers and members of the public. Hive numbers being
stolen varied from half a dozen up to 20 or 30.
Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe says it is common practice for beekeepers to shift hives just prior to dawn and after
dusk using small utes. However, police need help from the public and request people to be extra vigilant and call police
if they see any suspicious activity around beehives.
“We urge members the public to report suspicious vehicles carrying beehives by calling *555. If you are unable to phone
police at the time take a note of the type of vehicle, registration number, location and direction of travel and if
possible a description of the beehives including colour and numbers and then call police when you can.”
ENDS