Thieves steal bee hives from Newquay country house

Five hives were taken from the gardens of a country house

Hives containing about 320,000 bees have been stolen from private gardens.

Beekeeper Guy Barnes said he was "stressed and emotional" at the discovery on the site of the country house in Cornwall on Sunday morning.

Five hives disappeared from the gardens of Tresillian House in St Newlyn East, near Newquay.

Mr Barnes said the incident had been reported to Devon and Cornwall Police and officers were investigating. The police have been contacted for comment.

Guy Barnes and fellow beekeepers pictured at the site near Newquay

Mr Barnes told BBC Radio Cornwall on Monday he felt "stressed, very emotional and incredibly sad" about what had happened.

"They are such an important part of our local eco-system," he said.

"For beekeepers it's a labour of love and it's 10 years' work."

He explained: "I got the devastating call on Sunday morning, and photos of this pair of tracks going into the field and just empty sites where all these hives were.

"I can't tell you what it meant to see those photos. It's all gone."

Tyre tracks can be seen in the field where the hives were

Jonny Jeffery, estate manager at Tresillian House, said: "We are totally shocked and saddened by the theft of five hives from the estate.

"I'm devastated for Guy Barnes as he has lost years of hard work and dedication."

Mr Barnes said the theft caught him "completely unawares" although he had heard of bee hives being stolen before.

The hives were all marked so he hoped there was a chance of getting them back, he said.

Mr Barnes added: "As my belief in humanity and humans gets dented by an event like this, at the same time the response from the community has been phenomenal."

He said there had been a "huge outpouring and people coming forward and offering me bees from their hives".

He added: "When the time is right we'll set back up again."