Beehives were upturned and bricks were thrown in a ‘mindless’ attack over the weekend at an apiary.
John Mooney, secretary of the Liverpool and Merseyside Beekeepers Association, said the hives’ bee colonies – in their peak at around 40,000 to 60,000 bees – are at risk if the queen has been killed. The hives, based in private grounds in south Liverpool, are used to teach new beekeepers how to look after bees.
The hives have since been put back together but the beekeepers are waiting to see if the queen has survived and how much damage has been done.
READ MORE: Children's slide outside house where gunshots were fired
John, 55, said: “The numbers of bees are dwindling massively so we don’t need people going around and knocking the hives over. It’s really sad because it’s mindless damage.
“Beekeeping is a really relaxing hobby as you just keep an eye on them. This attack only adds to the workload of the volunteers who invest their time into looking after them.”
He added that honeybees are incredibly important to the environment and are already at risk due to increased pressure from reduced forage and habitat and increased use of pesticides and herbicides. Up to two thirds of the food we eat is produced as a result of being pollinated by bees.
John said such an aggressive attack on the hives was “extremely dangerous” for those involved as, when a bee stings, it releases a pheromone that makes the other bees in the colony also more likely to sting in order to defend the hive.
If any of them had been allergic to bee venom they could have suffered anaphylactic shock, which can be life threatening without immediate medical help.
John and the three volunteers who take care of the apiary are considering moving the hives to a different location to protect the bees. The volunteers, who give up their free time to look after the bees, are over 70 and could be at risk if threatened by the attackers.
John has worked with bees since 2011 and has been secretary of the Beekeepers Association for four years. He said: “We would be very happy to give whoever knocked the hives over a tour of the apiary and help them understand how important bees are to us. If they are brave enough, they can have a look in a hive up close and personal.
“We want to actively build bridges with our community. If the perpetrators don't wish to take us up on our offer then we would appreciate it if they left the bees alone to quietly get on with pollinating our flowers and food.”
