Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... Roseburg shooting victim describes gunman's rampage ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... SUNDAY FOCUS: BEE RUSTLING Stolen hives impact beekeepers' livelihoods Comment By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM How expensive is it to set up a beehive? --> With increasing demand for locally sourced, organic foods, hobbyist-level beekeeping is on the rise. Medford amended its laws in April to allow beehives within city limits, and Ashland a... » Read more X How expensive is it to set up a beehive? With increasing demand for locally sourced, organic foods, hobbyist-level beekeeping is on the rise. Medford amended its laws in April to allow beehives within city limits, and Ashland and Talent have earned the distinction of being two of only seven cities in the country deemed a "Bee City, USA."  Dave Schoenmann, owner of locally based Shastina Millwork and Shastina Bee Girls, which manufactures equipment for beekeeping for hobbyists and commercial beekeepers around the country, said demand is increasing. "We've sold setups for one to two hives in a backyard all the way up to 36,000 hives," he said. Bee suits and boxes are available at local stores such as Grange Co-Op and through companies such as Schoenmann's. A basic box setup costs about $70 for the first story and an additional $45-$50 for the second story, as the colony begins to establish, a few weeks later. Purchase of bees can range from $75 to $90 for a "bee box" to $130 for an established colony with an egg-laying queen. Levels of beekeeping prowess range from backyard beekeepers to "sideliners" who keep 50 to 100 hives and often piggyback larger commercial operations. Commercial beekeepers provide everything from swarm removal and queen bee rearing to pollination services for regional crops and product sales. Information about local beekeepers and classes available for hobbyists can be found on the Southern Oregon Beekeepers website, www.southernoregonbeekeepers.org » Social News The recent theft of more than a dozen hives in White City has raised concerns that bee rustling, a growing crime in California's almond groves and other commercial agricultural fields, could be making its way north to the Rogue Valley. Mike Curtis, an Eagle Point beekeeper for nearly four decades, said 14 to 15 of his beehives were stolen around May 1 from the Denman Wildlife Area after several weeks of ongoing vandalism. "We had three or four times where we went out and noticed that people had come in and they would knock hives over or we would have equipment vandalized," said Curtis, of the Wild Bee Honey Farm and the Oregon Bee Store. "We'd get it all cleaned up and they would come back in and do it again." Curtis uses a combination of public and private lands to house his 400 hives. The hives that were stolen were behind a locked gate in the wildlife area outside White City. Curtis said the vandalism might have been random, but the theft indicated the rustler was someone with "at least some level of comfort" dealing with bees. "To have stolen the hives, they would have needed a pickup truck and they had to know what they were doing, which makes me think it had to be someone who's done stuff with bees," Curtis said. "Most people are kind of afraid and don't care to get stung." Shortages of bees available for pollination because of colony collapse and the rise of hobby farms and apiaries has led to spurts of hive thefts throughout the country over the last 10 years. Honeybees are crucial for species that depend on their pollination to produce a fruit, such as almonds, apples, cherries and blueberries. The bees also are important for species that need pollination to create seeds but not the crop itself, such as alfalfa, sugar beets and onions. Honeybees contribute more than $15 billion to the United States economy, but their numbers are declining at alarming rates because of colony die-offs. More than two out of five American honeybee colonies died in the past year, according to a federal survey conducted by a bee partnership that includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since April 2014, beekeepers lost 42.1 percent of their colonies, the second-highest loss rate in nine years, according to the survey. No one has determined its cause, but researchers point to a combination of factors, including pesticide contamination, poor nutrition and diseases. Thefts of hives are more common in Northern California, especially early in the year when beekeepers rent out hives to pollinate almond crops. Beekeepers have turned to using GPS trackers to help keep tabs on their hives. "Bee theft has always happened here and there," Curtis said. "We've known people where they've lost 60-70 hives, and that is typically from another beekeeper. It happens more often in California than it does here." Beekeeper Walter Franz, of Franz Honeybees in Gold Hill, agreed that even a small loss impacts local availability of hives and hurts beekeepers. "We haven't had any thefts this year but we did have last year. It's pretty common to have people mess with the hives. People are always interested in the bees and you get some people who don't respect the bees," Franz said. "With so many places selling bee suits, anybody can just go buy a bee suit and steal a hive if they wanted to." Jackson County sheriff's officials confirmed the report of Curtis' stolen hives but say they've had no other instances of beehive theft reported in the last year. Other local beekeepers say thefts happen sporadically — usually one or two hives at a time — but go unreported. Those polled this week said they sympathized with Curtis' loss — which he valued around $10,000 in equipment and loss of sales — and hoped it was an isolated incident. "I've not heard of any bees being stolen in the valley (before), so that's worrisome," said Applegate Apiaries beekeeper Andrew Watson. "There's definitely a shortage of bees this year in the valley. When there's a shortage, the value and demand both go up." Kristen Beck, who runs Little Heathen Honey in Medford with her husband, said keeping hives primarily on private property had helped prevent theft. "We have ours on private property, so nobody gets near them," she said. "It's hard with hives because they're usually out in the middle of nowhere and you can't watch them 24 hours a day." Beck sympathized with Curtis, noting, "even a few hives is a big loss." With hives valued around $250 to $300 to set up, unprotected hives could be tempting for the right person, Curtis said. "The average person wouldn't likely go up and just take a hive," he said. "They're not light — they weigh about 100 pounds when they're full. "It most likely had to be someone who's done it before or has a few hives and knows what they're doing." Franz hoped that at least some justice was served when Curtis' hives were stolen. "When someone takes something that doesn't belong to them, you can only hope they got stung up a little when they were doing it," he said with a laugh. "I had two attempted thefts last year. They got one out of the fence and one next to the fence was in pieces. Judging by the fact they didn't make it too far, I guess they probably didn't have a bee suit on." Buffy Pollock is a freelance writer living in Medford. Email her at [email protected]. The Associated Press contributed to this report. By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune Posted May. 17, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501