Thousands of bees abducted from a Cornish country house have seemingly escaped their captors and returned on their own.
Over 400,000 bees were stolen from five hives, and the perpetrator is thought to be another local beekeeper.
They were taken from Tresillian House in a daring theft, with only the perpetrator’s tyre tracks in the grass as proof. The hives were allegedly being stored locally, but the bees have begun to return of their own volition, according to police.
As the bees returned, assistant beekeeper Kathrin Barnes said they were being placed in a new hive. She believes the rest of them are in the area and hopes they will all return to the estate in St Newlyn East.
‘There are so many,’ she explained, ‘that it signals they are close by and on their way home.’
‘If bees are transported less than a mile away, they will return to their previous location.’ We’re hoping that if they’re looking for a scent, they’ll all come back.’
Between 6 p.m. on June 11 and 6 a.m. on June 12, the five hives were removed. Guy Barnes, the head beekeeper, said the theft has left him “stressed and emotional.”
According to him, each hive housed 80,000 bees, and removing all five would have necessitated specialized knowledge and a large vehicle.
Guy also thinks it was done by another beekeeper because beehives are bulky and difficult to transport and handle.
‘It could have been for the money, but I don’t know,’ he said. Sadly, I have a hunch it’ll be another keeper.’