Bee rustling
Bee rustling is a crime involving the theft of honey bees. It has been known to occur in Western Canada and the Western United States, as with cattle rustling, also in the United Kingdom. A 2014 theft in California was valued at $65,000 and a December 2016 theft of 300 bee colonies in Texas was valued at $90,000. Bees and honey worth $100,000 were stolen from a farm in Abbotsford, British Columbia in 2012. The California State Beekeepers Association offers a $10,000 reward for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of a bee rustler.
Modern Farmer, The Guardian and others ascribe the increase in this crime to higher honeybee values after the colony collapse disorder since 2006.
