Hive heists and stolen honeybees

Hosted by

Conjure up an image of a burglar. The last thing you'd probably imagine is a man in a white beekeeper suit and netted headgear, tiptoeing across a field in the dead of night. But beehives are a hot commodity these days and hive theft has become a serious issue for California almond farmers. More than 80 percent of the planet's almonds come from California groves and the bees are a necessary tool used to pollinate 800,000 acres of trees. Jodi Helmer is a North Carolina beekeeper and is covering the hive heist for NPR's The Salt blog.

Music: "Bus Stop Boxers" by The Eels