Nearly 60,000 bees have been stolen from a grocery store company’s field in Pennsylvania, the company 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% of their populations, which was less than the national average loss of 45.5% 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.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.