Deputy Freeman says bee thefts have been steadily increasing since he started his job in 2013. Last year there were over a thousand hives reported stolen statewide. Deputy Freeman has only investigated one hive theft so far, which is extremely unusual. A third of every bite of food that a human eats must be pollinated by bees at some point.
Humanity can’t survive without bees, which is why bees are big business for thieves. Today, Explained’s Haleema Shah heads to the capital of sting operations — California’s Central Valley — to find out who’s beehind these thefts and why they're happening.
This episode was reported and produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices