60,000 Bees Stolen From PA Grocery Store's Pollination Field
By Jason Hall
February 11, 2022
A grocery store company said tens of thousands of bees were stolen from its Carlisle, Pennsylvania headquarters last month.
The Giant Company revealed 60,000 bees were taken from three beehives and their colonies at some point between January 28 and 30, PennLive.com reports.
“Bees are an essential part of our food supply chain and having these beehives were one way we were helping to address the declining bee population here in our hometown community,” said Jessica Groves, community impact manager with Giant, in a press release obtained by PennLive.com. “We are extremely disappointed that this happened and are continuing to cooperate with Middlesex Township Police Department.”
The incident comes amid a significant drop in the bee population nationwide, which has threatened the U.S. agricultural industry and environmentalists as the nation's food supply depends on honeybees for pollination.
Pennsylvania has specifically had issues over the past year, reporting a loss of roughly 41% of their hives' populations, just below the national average of 45.5% lost between April 2020 and 2021.
Giant Company first introduced its seven-acre pollination field at its Carlisle headquarters in 2020, according to PennLive.com.
Middlesex Township Police are advising anyone with information regarding the theft to contact their department at (717)-249-7191 or by submitting an anonymous tip online.