Sioux City bee hives damaged Thursday.
Sioux City Police are trying to find vandals who killed hundreds of thousands of bees when they destroyed a local beekeeper’s hives and equipment on the city’s westside.
Justin and Tori Engelhardt operate Wild Hill Honey and he says they went to clean snow from their 50 hives Thursday they found them destroyed along with the supply shed. Engelhardt says only one thing was stolen
“It was an absolutely senseless act. All the equipment was taken outside and kind of beat up and thrown around and then got snowed on,” Engelhardt says. “Every single hive was knocked over, every single hive. Absolutely nothing as far as we can tell was stolen — besides a security camera we had up there that probably would have had footage.”
Sioux City police are looking for whatever clues they can find. He says they dusted for fingerprints and
Vandalized supply shed.
measured footprints at the scene and are pursuing some leads. The couple also work as contractors and Engelhardt says with this kind of loss — the future of Wild Hill Honey is uncertain.
“It’s not our only source of income, thank goodness. But it is an important one, and it’s a big loss,” according toe Englehardt. “We’ve been really, really deeply moved by the response of the community. Last night some people set up a couple of different Go Fund Me sites (we are) just overwhelmed by the generosity.”
Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call crimestoppers at 712-258-tips.
(By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City)