Thread by @reveal

1/ NEW: Every year, three-quarters of America’s domesticated honeybees are trucked into California for the state’s almond harvest.

It’s the world’s largest annual managed pollination event.

It has also created a thriving market for thieves. revealnews.org/article/califo…

2/ Almond growers need two honeybee colonies per acre during the height of pollination season. And California’s total almond acreage has nearly tripled in the past 20 years, a spike due in large part to foreign demand. bls.gov/opub/btn/volum…

3/ Hives have never been more valuable. The average seasonal rental price for one is $185, and that number is only expected to climb in the coming years. For beekeepers with thousands of hives, it can be quite a payday.
beeculture.com/2018-almond-po…

4/ It also presents an opportunity for thieves. In the spring of 2017, authorities arrested two men, Pavel Tveretinov and Vitaliy Yeroshenko. In their possession: $1 million worth of bees, many of them stolen. latimes.com/local/lanow/la…

5/ Their cases are still winding their way through the courts in Fresno, California. This July, the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office added two grand theft charges.

6/ One thing is certain, though: The number of reported hive thefts in California dipped significantly after they were arrested.

7/ By the way, Tveretinov and Yeroshenko are not the first people to be accused of lifting honeybees.

In fact, there’s quite a long and colorful history of the crime in California:

8/ Because bee theft requires a very special skill set, your typical thieves are often beekeepers themselves.

9/ But what about the keepers who had their hives stolen over the past couple years? Some have come to California to retrieve their stolen hives. Others have opted not to: Transporting bees is expensive, and there’s no guarantee their colonies are healthy.

10/ For more stories like this, please consider subscribing to our newsletter. revealnews.org/newsletter