Colony of over 15K honey bees stolen from Oakland Rockridge neighborhood home

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- In a new twist in crime in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood over the weekend, a thriving colony of honey bees was stolen - literally.

Urban beekeeper Susan Donahue said she advertised on Nextdoor that she'd be doing a honey tasting Saturday in front of her quiet Rockridge home, where she nurtures hives of bees on her rooftop. She set out three tables and even bought a brand new "observation hive" so people could see the bees in action.

"One would hold the observation hive, another would have the honey tasting going on, and another table with jars of honey for sale," Donahue said

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At 10:40 a.m., she brought out the hive and went inside to carry out jars of honey when she heard commotion on the street.

"I heard someone say, 'hey, free bees' and a moment pause and then I heard a car door shut," Donahue said

The hive had vanished. Thieves stole a colony with over 15,000 live honey bees and their queen, which are all gone.

"Those bees are probably dying because whoever took that hive was not a beekeeper," Donahue said.

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She feels certain this urban bee heist was a drive-by crime of opportunity, which she reported to police.

Neighbors like Al Flor believe it is a sign of the times in Oakland. "Once people believe they can commit crimes with impunity - meaning they're not going to get arrested and they're not going to be charged with a crime or prosecuted - then everything's fair game," Flor said.

The Alameda County Beekeepers Association says reports of thefts of hives in urban areas is practically unheard of, but it's more common in agricultural areas. The Fresno County Sheriff's Department reports thefts of over 600 hives so far in 2024 as farmers ramp up for pollination season. In Oakland, beekeeper Donahue is worried about a loss of innocence.

"I lost a colony and it was heartbreaking that day to see the children coming to check out the bees and they didn't get to do that," Donahue said. "They learned about theft."

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