Nearly 60,000 bees were stolen from the headquarters of an American supermarket US News

Nearly 60,000 bees were stolen from the headquarters of the supermarket chain Pennsylvania.

The bees were stolen from the Giant Company’s corporate field at Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle for some time between January 28 and 30.

“Bees are an integral part of our food supply chain, and having these hives has been one way to combat the decline in bee populations here in our hometown,” said Jessica Groves, Giant Community Impact Manager. press release.

“We are very disappointed that this has happened and continue to work with the Middlesex Police Department,” she added.

In 2020, Giant introduced Fr. seven acres of sunny field at its corporate headquarters to support bees as well as birds and small wildlife.

In recent months, bee populations have been declining, and beekeepers are reporting the loss of 45.5% of their colonies from April 2020 to April 2021. according to a nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership run by the University of Maryland.

In Pennsylvania, beekeepers lost about 41% of their colonies during this time period, which means slightly less loss than the national average. Beekeepers in Iowa suffered the most from April 2020 to April 2021, losing 58.4% of their colonies.

The Associated Press contributed to this report