Take the honey and run

February 8, 2016 12:10 PM

Robbing of bees has become an increasingly problematic crime as bee populations dwindle due to Colony Collapse Disorder and the price of a healthy hive rises. A swarm of thefts occur around this season every year in California as cells of thieves extract hives from almond orchards in the Central Valley, where 90% of all managed bees are brought every year.

This year, the sting is on, but the buzz is that it's only getting worse.

posted by Sophie1 (9 comments total)

The punishment is clear.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:20 PM on February 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

+1 for the title.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:52 PM on February 8, 2016 [8 favorites]

(Just a note - bees themselves have a behavior called 'hive robbing' where they attack and steal from other hives, and at first I thought this post was about that.)
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:07 PM on February 8, 2016 [4 favorites]

dang Sophie1 take the honey and pun whydontcha
posted by sidereal at 1:09 PM on February 8, 2016 [8 favorites]

I am a beekeeper as well showbiz_liz. You'll notice a few other apiculture terms in the FPP.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:10 PM on February 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

Bee theft, squirrel fraud, sheep burglary, spider embezzlement, rooster piracy and duck purloining. All crimes devastating our once crime-free nation. But the government does NOTHING. We need a Farmer - not an "Obama". That's my new election slogan. It used to be "we need a llama ...", but ... well, llama pilferage.
posted by the quidnunc kid at 3:47 PM on February 8, 2016 [1 favorite]

I love a good roast duck purloin.
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:54 PM on February 8, 2016

We didn't rob no hives. They was... bequeathed t'us.
posted by hal9k at 5:25 PM on February 8, 2016

and at first I thought this post was about that

Or a reference to how beek's rob the bees ... and who could blame us?

I keep bees as well.
posted by squeak at 8:37 PM on February 8, 2016 [1 favorite]