CARLISLE, Pa. (AP) — Nearly 60,000 bees have been stolen from a grocery store company's field in Pennsylvania.
Pennlive.com reports that the bees were said to have been stolen in Carlisle at the end of January.
The Giant Company's community impact manager said that the bees were an essential part of the local food chain that is suffering a declining bee population.
She added that the company is cooperating with Middlesex Township Police Department on the matter, the Associated Press reported.
The nationwide loss of bee populations is causing serious concerns with the agricultural industry and environmentalists.
The AP reported that state beekeepers reported a loss of 41% of their populations last year.
The news outlet said that the national average loss of bees reported between April 2020 and 2021 is 45.5%.
The newspaper reports that about one-third of the United States' food supply relies on bees to pollinate plants.