A Northland family is heartbroken after trespassers destroyed 50 beehives, killing around two million bees – with insurance only likely to offer mild consolation.
According to NZ Herald, the wrecked beehives belonged to the Murray whānau’s award-winning Kai Ora Honey business at Awanui.
Blanche Morrogh, chief executive officer at Kai Ora Honey, stated that the hives had been flipped upside down with the lids pulled off. Between 40,000 and 60,000 bees were in each hive, so a total of 2,500,000 may have been lost.
She clarified that animals could not have done the damage as the straps had been cleanly cut with a sharp tool.
“Whoever was responsible had deliberately set out to kill the bees,” Morrogh told NZ Herald. “We’re just saddened that anyone would be that low. For us the gutting part for us is our poor bees. They’re like our pets. If someone did that to your dog or cat you’d be pretty upset too.’’
Morrogh estimated that they might spend about $30,000 just to replace the beehives, not counting the lost production.
She said that their insurance can cover some of the damages but not lost production, which could be significant if they are unable to replace the hives quickly.
“This wasn’t the normal carry-on. This was someone trying to take down a small family business. It’s despicable and disgusting. Everyone knows we’re not a Comvita, we’re not a big corporate. We put our blood, sweat and our tears into our hives,” Morrogh said.
“There’s only a small window of about 6-8 weeks to produce high-grade honey and the season’s already under way. If we miss three or four weeks, we’ve pretty much missed the season.”
Police are still investigating security camera footage and following tips provided by the public.
