CARLISLE, Pa. — Nearly 60,000 bees have been stolen from a grocery store company’s field in Pennsylvania, officials said.
The bees were said to be stolen in Carlisle between Jan. 28 and Jan. 30, Pennlive.com reported Wednesday.
In a statement, the Giant Company’s community impact manager, Jessica Groves, said that the bees were an essential part of the local food chain that is suffering a declining bee population.
“We are extremely disappointed that this happened and are continuing to cooperate with Middlesex Township Police Department,” Groves said.
In 2021, beekeepers in the state reported a loss of 41 percent of their populations, which was less than the national average loss of 45.5 percent of bees between April 2020 and 2021.
The nationwide loss of bee populations is causing serious concerns with the agricultural industry and environmentalists because about one-third of the United States’ food supply relies on bees to pollinate plants, the newspaper said.