50,000 bees were killed when hives were ‘deliberately’ burned on a family farm in Pennsylvania.
Tens of thousands of bees have been killed after beehives were set on fire at a Pittsburgh farm, according to a family business.
The owner of Bedillion Honey Farm in Emboni and his daughter saw the “results of deliberate destruction” of their beehives during an inspection on Thursday, the family business wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“Tens of thousands of honey bees were reduced to ashes, along with the boxes and pallets they were once housed in,” Bedillion Honey Farm posted, along with photos of the devastating effects of the burned hives.
“This has been a huge loss for the animals, and our livelihood goal, although we intend to regroup and rebuild.”
The owners of Bedillion Honey Farm, Mark and Sarah Bedillion, say 50 beehives were intentionally set on fire when a wooded area was set on fire – killing as many as 50,000 bees, WTAE reported.
“We rolled towards it. I was a little confused and said, “Where are the beehives?” said the couple’s daughter, Lily, telling the newspaper.
“If you really look at it, you can see the ash squares where they burned the frame,” he said.
“My heart ached, my father’s heart sank – a very long moment of silence until all our nests burned. It was sad, to say the least.”
Bedillion has a small store in Hickory that sells a variety of products from their farm, including honey, candles and soap, according to the store.
“It was like a punch in the gut,” store owner Sarah Bedillion told the outlet.
“It was sad. They killed our bees, they killed them. We estimate about 50 hives in the colony, so tens of thousands of bees.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Bedillion Honey Farm to recover the loss of hives and equipment has raised more than $23,500 of its $35,000 goal as of Sunday night.
The farm has filed a report with the police and urged anyone with information to help solve the case so that it can come forward.
The family-owned farm will also offer a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the tragic fire.
“We have been overwhelmed with love and support following an intentional fire at one of our bee yards in Industry, PA. Our family is so grateful for your kindness and messages,” the farm wrote in an updated statement Friday.
“Despite the slowdown, we are continuing our normal spring program of care for the rest of our bees, and we will let you know if we learn more.”
