A Cromwell bee keeper has lost five beehives, possibly destroyed by a four-wheel-drive vehicle.
The damage is estimated to be $4000 in loss of hives, the queen bees and the season's earnings.
Cromwell Senior Constable John Chambers said Lindis Honey owner Tim Wood went out to check his hives yesterday morning and found three dead hives and the others past saving.
The hives were stationed about half a kilometre up the Nevis Rd from the Cromwell end, about 10m-15m off the side of the road.
They were visible from the road.
Snr Const Chambers said someone had driven a vehicle off the road and run across the top of the hives.
"Clearly, it is a stupid act and we'd like to help resolve it," he said.
The hives had been placed there at the beginning of the autumn and were fine three weeks ago when Mr Wood had gone up there to feed the bees some protein.
"The protein was still there at the site which means it [the destruction] must have happened very soon after that, as the remaining healthy hives had no signs of any protein left, as the bees had eaten it all," Mr Wood said.
He had found a hive tipped on its side earlier in the year at the same place and someone had taken honey from it.
"Young people go up there with their old cars to hoon around. They can hit things, as they don't worry about damaging their cars," he said.
Snr Const Chambers is hoping someone will come forward and own up to the damage, or that someone will know who did it and report it to the police.
