Vandals Destroy 50 Beehives, Killing At Least 500,000 Bees

The future of a honey business in Sioux Falls, Iowa, is uncertain after vandals destroyed dozens of their beehives, CBS affiliate KMEGreports. The owners of Wild Hill Honey said they discovered that 50 beehives were destroyed when they went to clear off snow on Thursday.

The owner, Justin Engelhardt, told KMEG that the incident basically wipes out his business and that it will be impossible to recover from. He said that thousands of bees died from vandalism.

"I knew it was going to be bad we went around the shed every hive was knocked over, dead bees in the snow, it was terrible," Englehardt said, adding that the couple's shed was also damaged in the incident. He said a window was broken and the lock was damaged.

Engelhardt said there was a security camera installed but it stolen during the incident. Police told the station they discovered fingerprints at the scene and an investigation is ongoing.

Engelhardt told The Associated Press that at least 500,000 bees were killed in the incident and that the estimated cost of damage was between $50,000 and $60,000.