Officers say it is likely the bees were taken late at night and urged people to get in touch if they are aware of somebody who has a sudden influx of beehives - or someone who's starting to sell them.
Seems pretty unbeelievable. If you've seen an apiarist behiving suspiciously, consider giving the police a buzz. If it leads to the missing hives, maybe you'll hornet a reward.
Solid puns but this is actually a problem. Beehives are quite valuable, like $500 per hive or so to just straight up sell them, or obviously they can also be incorporated into an apiary for long-term production.
Theft of beehives is really not unheard of. Similar to how people steal cows and shit. Beekeepers will sometimes brand or otherwise mark their hives in an attempt to deter such thievery.
Personally I keep my beehives in huge steel cages, though that is primarily to protect them from bears.