Watch A Bee-Theft Detective Bust A Hive Heist
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- čas přidán 27. 02. 2019
- Buzz Landon thought this year would be different. But on Jan. 30, he felt the sting of stolen property yet again. Save for a piece of honeycomb, a small wooden cage and some deep tire impressions, the thieves left no evidence of who they are - or where they had taken Buzz’s bees.
Luckily, he happens to know a man for the job.
“A lot of people have called me a bee theft detective,” said Dept. Rowdy Freeman, of the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. He’s investigated everything from fraud to homicide, but in recent years has become a specialist in this particular type of agricultural crime.
California’s $7.6 billion almond growing industry requires over two million bee colonies every year. Nearly two thirds of all American beekeepers send their hives to pollinate almond orchards in California’s Central Valley, for up to $350 each hive for the season.
Beekeepers from around the country lease their hives to almond farmers in for up to $350 per hive every February during pollination season. This, combined with the soaring cost of honey and demand for bees during almond pollination has created the golden opportunity for sticky-fingered criminals to cash out.
Two years ago, criminals stole more than 700 hives, worth just under $1 million. In the end, it was Deputy Freeman who managed to track the bee bandits down, using a very special set of skills, rooted in his own experiences as a beekeeper himself.
“I understand bees and the beekeeping industry and how it all works,” he said. “It’s something that needs special attention from someone and I’m glad that I can be there.”
It all started in 2014, when he was assigned his first bee theft case. Shortly after that he got the bug, and today he has more than 400 hives. He’s also made local connections with the beekeeping community, which has come in handy this year.
So far, more than 500 hives have already gone missing in the Central Valley in 2019, and Freeman is usually the first to know about it. But bee poachers are a tricky breed to catch.
Stealing millions of angry bees requires a deep knowledge of how to correctly handle the insects. Thieves break into the almond orchards under the dark of night, poaching freshly delivered hives. But this arduous task requires equipment unique to the beekeeping industry: A special beekeeping forklift or a flat bed to put the hives on, full beekeeper suits and hand-held smokers to subdue the bees. For that reason, Rowdy and the beekeeping community in general believe that other beekeepers are the main culprit.
“It's a hard crime to detect because they look like they're a beekeeper that owns the hives moving their own hives,” Freeman said.
VICE News embeds with Deputy Freeman through his investigative process, as he strikes gold busting a smaller theft operation in Biggs County.
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Nearly two thirds of all American beekeepers send their hives to pollinate almond orchards in California’s Central Valley, for up to $350 each hive for the season.
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@CC 96 420 I agree, nice to see positive successful change
Talk about a sting operation!
So punny!
Hahahahaha
Ha!
Reason to read the comments..lol
You gotta bee kidding me with this comment. You win the internet today sire.
"Why am I being arrested?"
Officer: "Beecuase"
Austin,Lorenzo Young 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 bruh
LOOOL
"Bee just hit me in the face". That was actually a high five.
You clearly meant hive five
@@bluelotusnanebi how did that escape me! Glad someone's thinking.
Respect for this man! He's actually a Beetective. That's two whole letter grades higher than a lowly Detective.
Can you do a follow up once they locate Buzz’s Bees. Thanks.
Sounds like we might need a Part Bee!
@@VICENews Yes, please!!!
Yesssss!! 😂. Thank you!!
Cannot believe the beekeeper's name is Buzz. I wonder if he changed his name for branding purposes or if his parents raised him and named him with beekeeping in mind.
@@VICENews you Da"Queen B"ee on news..thanks for all the hard work!
Who knew beehive stealing was a thing?
Where theres money to be made...
@@robotslug to "bee" made
@@yeahokbuddy2510 Damn, I totally missed out on that one.
Cop: Where'd you get these hives, Boy?
Suspect: None of your bee's-wax!
Happens often in Australia, some dodgy home job bee keepers stole my family friends hives during the night, easy $20K worth
How else is a bee suppose to say thank you than fly straight in your face
Yeah, it's their version of a fist bump...
Kenzi bounce there head off your living room window for an entire day.
Kenzi That bee was drunk
I'm glad this was taken seriously. The crime was expensive and also can have and effect our ecosystem in a terrible way when those who are greedy don't care about the hardwork of the keeper and the job the bees actually do. Props to the law enforcement officers who handled these cases.
Bees are so important to everything on earth,
Truth
Congratulations Deputy Freeman for finding the hive value targets. Mission accomplished!
I'm glad vice is there to cover actual news. Seems like all the big news networks only care about politics lately.
Chris Kuhn True! I Think!
Because orange man bad
Peaceful Peaceful because orange man bad
Congradulation Officer,you really deserve the job,god bless you.We work hard for those bees.
The value of recovering these bees and equipment are multitudes beyond the replacement value. Thanks guys.
Damn this man really got arrested for stealing bee hives😂💀
Ya and people get arrested for stealing cattle, horses and dogs as well. You can't just steal someone's property
“Turn around your under arrest”
“For what”
“Stealing hives”
“Aww”
Cekeybula *you’re
Bee just hit me in the face! 😂😂😂
It really bee like that
>ignoring banks and jewelerys.
>Ignoring electronic stores.
>Stealing some high value bees and eat it
bro, you are joking right?
really bro, stealing bees? wtf!!
If there is money to be made they will steal it look at the people stealing scrap metal. Or catalytic converters off cars. Thieves will take ANYTHING they can make a buck off. Sadly 😡
The problem is that you have something of value not being in anyway protected. Easy pickings. Its like having an unlocked bike just out in public.
Because in Communist America it's not you're honey it's *Our* honey
Samurai Red Communist America? Are you high?
The guy gets arrested, but somehow there not being protected in anyway? The problem is uhh the criminal and idiots thinking it’s ok because it’s “easy pickings”.
@@Jonas-bl6vi don't you mean *OUR* high soldier
Wtf else they’re supposed to do?? Buy a 50 mile chain and tie them all together??
Bees are adorable and the absolute best and anyone helping them is the most awesome! :D
They take them at night because that's when all the bees are in the hive. Empty hives aren't worth near as much.
My mentor was a pollinator. This is a serious issue for pollinators. Thrives go in the yards and transfer the bees and frames from the hives to different equipment on their truck and drive off. It isn’t until the beekeeper checks the colonies that they realize their bees were stolen.
He’s gone into his bee yards to see his colonies strapped up for moving. He thinks he interrupted a theft set up. A day later they would have been gone.
Also, never take pollinator contracts from other beekeepers. Some will sabotage your hives. It’s a tough business and watch your hives.
"Honey! Call the police, someone stole our hives!" "Oh goddamnit, you gotta Bee kidding me!"
I lived in butte county and this happened all the time every year. You just only hear about it on local news.
This such an onion worthy title.
I know, it's up there with the illegal sand trade.
@@Sun-Tzu- Illegal sand trade actually affect some countries. The illegal operations may pollute the environment.
@@muhammadfathonihanif5500 I know, that was mine and the OPs point. Real news stories that are serious but sound absolutely ridiculous.
@@Sun-Tzu- That means I am whooshed?
Bees are considered Livestock, like cows and sheep.....so stealing them is dealt with the same as stealing cattle. Very serious.
Ah the sweet taste of justice from a well run sting operation!
Hive never heard of a dedicated beetective, either!
It's human nature that anything that isn't tied down would be stolen, hell they'll even steal what's tied down also!
Bee thieves have sticky fingers.
The bad thing is you don’t have to steal from bee keepers. Most will give you their time and training and sometimes bees if they have them. They will always help people.
no bee were harm in making this video
peta thanks you lol
glad you counted every bee so i didn't have too /s
*the bees faces have been blurred to protect the identity of those held captive*
"peta thanks you" Im pretty sure peta would rather see those bees burned in a bonfire than be slaves to a farmer.
This is absolutely unBEElievable
They are gonna need a lot more proof than that 😂 deputy talking big for nothing
Not in cali. he had the goods on him matching the serials on the boxes. and stolen equipment which requires in cali a license for it. so yeah kinda hard to lie out of having the stolen bee's and equipment that was used...
The F Bee I
lol
good to know there are still some goodand caring officers in this world!
Good job my cousin's bee farm had 600+ hives many of which helped pollinate those almond orchards in California. I know how irritating it can be when someone steals hives! Glad ya caught the guilty party.
Thumbnail... I thought Johnny Sins dressed as a Sheriff 💖
MIZORAM - Mafaka Hnamte LMFAOOOO
Jeezeeee. The beekeepers work very hard & they don't make much $$ and there are ppl would steal from them? That's so sad :-(
"WHERE'S MY HOME??"
- the bee that smacked him in the face there at the end.
The guy getting arrested. “, What? Ahh“
Y’all should cover Don the Fat Bee Man. That dude had his hives stolen off his own property. And that guy raises bees for a living. He’s one of the good guys, raising better bees while teaching those about the art. And he’s not shipping them all around the country chasing pollination money. Don is a real beekeeping hero.
Farmers feed America!! We just don't give them the credit that they deserve.
Farmers feed everyone. But I can imagine how difficult it must be to have your source of income stolen.
Just gave this video its 1000th like because goddamn it if Buzz Landon doesn't deserve it. Excellent detective work.
I want more of the bee detective!
Nice, this is the kinda stuff I expected from vise, great video.
I lost 75 to 100 hives in lula Georgia last year never found them
What's the biggest economic loss, the hive or the bees?
@@muhammadfathonihanif5500 the hive is the bees...
@@heraclitus6100 I mean to ask which is costlier replacing the hive equipment or the bee replacement.
Like in farm which is costlier the land rent or the crop seeds.
Sorry, English is not my first language.
haha
Sorry didn’t know it was your hives
You know this sounds like some out of a quirky movie in which people steal bee hives but then stuff goes horribly wrong
Criminals never BEEhave
The beekeeper should be awarded the jeep and trailer too.
The tire of his Jeep and trailer sure matches the track left behind lol
People really out here stealing bees when I just want them to go away so I can cut the grass..
God damn bees are worth a lot of money!
I better start planting some flowers!
5:00 Damn they really got Grand Theft Hive
Thos tire tracks on buzz's farm looked identical to the jeeps tires
14 hive stolen 140 years prison time good prisoner 70 years out of jail
Theft of AVOCADOS is popular too. Large avocados sell for sometimes a dollar apiece.
Good to know I need to put a GPS tracker in my hives now. SAVE THE BEES 🐝
NO NOT THE BEES
God bless you officer ! You do deserve your job.Have the best in all your dayli activities!
That bee 🐝 just kissed him in the face hahaha
Imagine getting shot in your ass for stealing bees and then getting attacked by all the bees, finishing u off lol.
Float like a butterfly 🦋
Sting like a bee 🐝
Im a bee keeper and I know how much work goes into it but the bee keeping Industry is taking a turn for the worst so if somebody wanted to get into be keeping that bad I would be more than willing to help them because it’s a dying industry
If this industry dies , don’t we all inherently die as well ?
Moral of the story: Bee good and mind your own beeswax!
True Detective - Season 4 looks really interesting, can't wait.
I would take my own hives with me and dump those bees in my hive. And that’s virtually untraceable.
Koehen, those guys make some damn good queens. They also have the beautiful Cordovan Italian bees, good stuff!
Whats the case number for the charges? Or better yet whats the booking number for the POS that's robbing local farmers?!
Ok, steal whatever you want but dont steal bees... cmon, we need them
That's really cool I'm glad you got them back.
Sounds like a sticky situation!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Unbeelievable you wouldn't think people would steal hives
Awesome to see law enforcement making progress in hive thefts.
"Bee just hit me in the face."
It's thanking him! Bee hi-five :)
"You are under arrest for stealing hives." x)
Those True Detective background drops.. nice
What chu in here fo? Stole bees! What? Steeling bee hives boooyy
4:45 "Oh what? awww." that damnit ive been caught sound lmaoooo
Why in the world would someone steal a beehive like what are you going to like get stringed?? do something else?? are they even useful??
Officer: "Turn around because you are under arrest for stealing hives." Dudes comment: "ouhhh " LMAO
Great job Officer.
You Bee Awesome. 🐝
“What are you in here for?”
“stealin hives”
YES! I "CRYED" When I SEEN All my Hives were GONE! A life of Beekeeping "GONE"!
Imagine a thief putting one of these bee hive boxes in their car.....but then all the bees spill out inside their car. LOL
This business is in danger.
Super subject & super video
Ironic, at the time of me seeing this video, I was thinking of the preschool I used to go to called *Busy-Bees*
Now that's an awesome deputy.
This should be a series vice.
There was got to be a way to come up with something to protect these hives... I'm going to start looking into this..
This is a big issue in Bulgaria as well. Its hard to save the hive from pesticides and after all that hard work it gets stolen.... it's awful.
Officer down, a beet strikes him right in the face, but we don't see six handcuffs being pulled out.
Imagine going to jail for stealing bees
Do backyard beekeepers who have only a couple hives need to worry about hive theft?
SIMPLE: Put on the boxes some motion detection alarms with gps location and problem fixed.
Bee hitting him in the face was it's way of giving him a high 5
Looks like a lucrative bees-ness
Buzz. What better name for a beekeeper?
To the bee mobile!! ..... You mean the Chevy ..... yes.
They were going to steal the Almonds, but they decided to go with plan BEE.
An Apolitical, pro LEO video from VICE. Outstanding
That was oddly thrilling