Bee industry buzzing as hive thefts soars

Beekeepers move truckloads of honeybees from around the United States to California to rent them out to farmers to pollinate the state's most valuable crop. But as almond flowers start to bloom this time of year, so begins beehive thefts that have become so prevalent, beekeepers are turning to technology to protect their precious colonies.

The past few weeks, more than 300 hives worth tens of thousands of dollars were reported stolen in the San Joaquin Valley. Another 384 vanished from a field in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, prompting the state's beekeeper association to offer a $10,000 reward for information leading to their recovery.

A tightening supply of bees and the soaring cost to rent a hive for pollination jumping from about $40 per hive two decades ago to as much as $230 per hive this year are likely motivating beekeepers to go rogue. The demands for bees have steadily risen during that same time period.