Telford beekeeper’s plea after hives are vandalised

Nicholas Taylor, has appealed for information after his hives, which are located in Ketley, were vandalised.

The 28-year-old, who has been keeping bees for four years, said he had found the lids of the hives strewn across a field, and that despite replacing them, the damage had been done, with the bees dying over the course of the following days.

He said: "On February 24 I went along and found the roofs had been taken off the hives and thrown around the field."

Mr Taylor said they roofs were securely tied town and there was no way the wind could have lifted them off.

He said: "There is no way they could have been undone by the weather due to the way they were knotted.

"It would take hands to undo those knots."

Pollinate

Mr Taylor said that when he returned a few days later all the bees were dead, apart from one colony.

He said: "I cannot understand why someone would do that to something so innocent.

"They do not harm anything or do anything except make honey and pollinate flowers which is a good thing for everyone.

"If anyone knows anything please contact the police."

Mr Taylor said that he would now have to start the long process of building the colonies again, and is considering CCTV to ensure there is no repeat of the vandalism that has killed his colonies.

He said: "I will to very slowly re-build. It would take two years to get back to where I was."

Mr Taylor explained you have to buy the nucleus of a hive and then build it up to get into the position of being able to make honey.

He added: "This was the first year we were building up the colonies to get to a particular point so we could make the bees pay for themselves as it is quite an expensive hobby."

Mr Taylor said he would now have to postpone plans to sell the honey until the hives are in a position where the bees can make honey again.