Beekeeper offers healthy hives as reward to catch thief who stole six colonies
A Canberra beekeeper offers healthy colonies as reward for finding six stolen hives with valuable pest-control data.
Retired scientist Ian Wallis had six hives of European honey bees stolen from Narrabundah Lane in Symonston in early September. The theft was discovered on Monday.
Wallis believes the culprit is another beekeeper who knew what they were taking and how to handle the hives. The stolen colonies contained data on controlling varroa mites.
This pest first appeared in Australia only four years ago. It hit Canberra beekeepers for the first time this winter.
Wallis spent months protecting his hives with formic acid, a natural deterrent that keeps his honey chemical-free. Now he is offering healthy bee colonies as reward for information leading to the thief.
It is an unusual bounty instead of cash. Other beekeepers have lost hives from the same site over the past 15 years.
- 6 European honey bees
- Hives stolen
- Narrabundah Lane, Symonston
- Location
- 4 years ago
- Varroa mites detected in Australia
- Winter 2026
- First Canberra outbreak
Why it mattersProtecting beehives and the knowledge beekeepers develop about managing new pests helps secure local honey production and biodiversity.
AustraliaVarroa mites threaten Australian beekeeping and honey production; loss of hives and pest-control knowledge created by local beekeepers sets back regional beekeeping efforts.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 27 min ago
