A 25-year-old man high on drink and drugs who killed more than 60,000 bees raiding their hives for honey has been seized by police in Germany.
The suspect, who admitted the heartless crime, caught on security cameras raiding the colonies in Nonnweiler, Saarland State, on 20th December.
Horrified bee keeper Andreas, 37, realised the raid was a death sentence for his tens of thousands of bees, which froze after the lids of their hives were taken off.
He said later: “I have been a passionate beekeeper for 10 years. For me it’s a hobby and a balance.
“I am in nature and surrounded by animals. We all love eating honey in the family.”
Andreas raised the alarm when his security cameras began sending live pictures of the break-in to his phone.
He said: “I saw a man with a hood who began to calmly open seven beehives and work on them.
Researchers Baffled By 3,000-Year-Old Mummified Bees
“Because I was travelling for work, I sent my parents and my brother to the apiary and alerted the police.”
He added: “We had a similar case a week ago. Here too, someone on another property was tampering with my apiary.
“As a result, two bee colonies froze to death.”
Local media reported that the suspect has been charged with theft and drink-driving as he had arrived at the scene intoxicated on a scooter.
The damage caused is estimated to be around EUR 2,000 (GBP 1,735).
Andreas said: “I am disappointed and sad that my bee colonies were killed. I had created them myself. You have to know: all colonies have different character traits.
“That sounds strange at first, but it is true. The bees are like pets.”
He added: “At this point, I would like to once again thank the police, who were on site within a few minutes and took great care of them.”
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.
