Newquay stolen bees returning to original home

The bees are being scooped up into a new hive at Tresillian House

Some of the bees among hundreds of thousands stolen from a country house in Cornwall have started returning say their keepers.

The beekeepers at Tresillian House near Newquay suspect the bees are nearby and hope all 320,000 will return.

A hive has been installed to welcome the bees back to their home, said assistant beekeeper Kathrin Barnes.

Police are searching for the thieves who stole five hives between 18:00 BST on 11 June and 06:00 BST on 12 June.

The beekeepers are hopeful all the bees will return

Ms Barnes said the returning bees were being scooped into the new hive as they returned.

"There are so many it indicates that they are nearby and are on their way back home," she said.

"If bees are moved less than a mile they go back to where they were before.

"They will probably all come back if they are chasing after a smell, that's our hope."

Five hives were taken from the gardens of a country house

Sgt Steve Applewhite, who is also a beekeeper, said it was "likely that these hives have been initially relocated or stored only a few miles away from Tresillian".

He said it was "very likely" passing drivers saw the thieves removing the large hives.

"We would like to hear from anyone within Devon and Cornwall who may have been offered a hive with bees, or any apiaries who have been offered additional hives since the date of the offence," he said.