Sterling Heights — A man told police someone sprayed his backyard bee colonies with pesticide, killing all roughly 700,000 of the insects and destroying their honey.
Timothy Fitch said Tuesday that the destruction took place sometime between Jan. 15 and March 8 outside his home in Sterling Heights," The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reports. He estimated the cost of the loss at more than $14,000.
"They didn't bother anybody," said Fitch, a Grosse Pointe middle school teacher. "The neighbors had no problem with them and grandkids, my kids, everybody played in the backyard and the bees didn't bother anyone."
Fitch, who spent several years researching honeybees before keeping them as a hobby, said he doesn't know whether he'll resume beekeeping.
The bee colonies typically survive year-round, even during the freezing temperatures of a Michigan winter, Fitch said. He told police, however, that the seven wooden towers that housed the bee colonies are now worthless, since they're contaminated with a pesticide.
Police are actively investigating, Sterling Heights Lt. Luke Riley said. They're seeking tips from the public in the case.
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