Honey is worth the money must be the thought process of the bandits that stole 12 beehives containing more than 480kg of honey from the Ipswich & West Moreton Beekeepers' Association.

There were so many bees, but that also did not deter the hive hustlers. Most probable reason behind the loot is money and it is considered that the haul would be around $2000. Honey prices have increased significantly by $4 a kilogram.

The price is considered to be the highest in years due to the rough weather conditions. President Benita Ironside is upset, but said the crime is not rare. Benita also believes that honey would have been stolen for money.

As per Ironside, the hives were having 40kg to 60kg of honey and around 20,000 to 30,000 bees. The organization uses the honey for charitable purposes. Trevor Weatherhead, Executive Director of Australian Honey Bee Industry Council has a doubt on part-time beekeepers having executed the stealing.

Already, Australian beekeepers were quite concerned about the less ideal production conditions, said Weatherhead. Hot weather, drought and bushfires have proved quite taxing for bee trade. All these factors are considered to reduce the annual honey production in Australia by half, which would be 14,000 tonnes this year, said Weatherhead.

The recent incident has further increased the concerns of bee keepers. The matter is worth concern and nobody wants to lose their income. Now, more number of beekeepers is getting insured against theft.