Thousands of bees die after hive lids in Shrewsbury removed

Thousands of bees have died after someone took the roofs off their hives while they hibernated on an allotment.

Beekeeper Charlie Syson said securing straps had been cut which had allowed the weather to damage the hives on the Greenfield Allotment, in Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

A crowdfunding campaign has now been set up to pay for an extra colony, which met its target within six hours.

Mr Syson said he was devastated by the loss.

"It was two hives so there were two good, strong colonies there," he said.

"Beekeeping is a real hobby of mine and it really really upset me, I was devastated."

Mr Syson, who also has another colony in Wem, said he had no idea who had caused the damage at the locked allotment site.

He added he thought someone who had been "stung by a bee and got annoyed" had caused the damage to his Shrewsbury hives.

"I think a lot of people don't understand the process of what the bees actually do in pollinating all our crops, especially flowers and crops that rely on seeds, things like sweetcorn," he said.

Mr Syson is now looking into installing wildlife cameras and putting padlocks on the hives to protect them in future.

But, he said, he had been overwhelmed with the response to the online fundraising, which has collected more than £750.

He is now hoping to introduce some black bees and wildlife hives thanks to the money raised.

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