It doesn’t rise to the level of the theft of crown jewels, but someone reported a theft of nearly a dozen queen bees from their property in Corrales last month.
The incident report from Corrales police buzzes with intrigue, with a mysterious man behind the wheel of a black sedan identified as a suspect and revenge as a possible motive.
A beekeeper in the Village contacted Corrales Police Department the night of Nov. 5 to report that 11 queen bees had been stolen or killed. With queen bees costing about $40 apiece to purchase on the open market, the damages were listed at $440.
The next day, officers showed up on scene and observed more than 20 hives on the property where the queen bees used to reign. They also took the name of a suspect the beekeeper said they had an “on-going issue with,” according to the report.
Apparently, another local beekeeper who had kept bees on the property complained to state officials that the bees had gotten sick while there. Because of the dispute, the host beekeeper was no longer allowing the other to use the hives.
The reporting beekeeper told police that they had seen a black American-made car drive by the property the day before. It sped off when the beekeeper attempted to get the car to stop. The beekeeper couldn’t identify the driver but believed it to be a male.
The beekeeper asked police to contact the suspect, which they attempted to do by phone. The call went directly to voicemail, however, so an officer left a message. The suspect was warned not to contact the beekeeper. They were told if there was any reason for them to contact the beekeeper, they needed to do it through a third party.