(File photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Bee heist

Alleged bee thief netted by RCMP

May 21, 2019 | 4:01 PM

A sticky fingered thief in northeast Saskatchewan has reportedly been arrested, and will appear in court next month.

The 47-year-old from Arborfield has been charged with theft over $5,000, in relation to the sudden disappearance last week of 148 bee hives from a farm north of Zenon Park. The accused has been scheduled to appear at Carrot River Provincial Court on June 20.

According to a release last week from the RCMP, the theft happened sometime between May 10 and May 13. Then on May 19, White Butte RCMP received a tip from the public regarding the location of the stolen bee colonies. RCMP and the property owner were then able to identify and recover the majority of the bees. Derek Moyen told paNOW he was happy to have his bees back.

“There have been a lot of beekeepers from across Western Canada who have called me about this and are showing a lot of concern because we all know each other and we all go through the same things,” he said

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Moyen said he did know the accused but would not comment further. He added he now he wants to move forward and put this incident behind him.

“It’s a very very busy time for all bee keepers and we have to focus and get to work,” he said.

nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell