Family-owned beehive farm intentionally destroyed by fire
By Sheldon Ingram
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HICKORY, Pennsylvania (WTAE) — Bedillion Honey Farm is owned by Mark and Sarah Bedillion. They say someone intentionally set fire to 50 beehives on their farm in Industry, Beaver County.
They estimate a loss of roughly 50,000 bees, and they say whoever is responsible went to great lengths to reach the beehives deep in a secluded wooded area.
“We rolled up to it. I was a little confused, like, where are the beehives?” said the couple’s daughter, Lily, who made the discovery with her father. “When you really get to looking at it, you can see squares of ash where they burned the pallet.
“My heart dropped, my dad’s heart dropped, a pretty long moment of silence until it set in that all of our hives were caught on fire. It was heartbreaking, to say the least.”
Bedillion Honey Farm owns a small retail shop in Hickory, which Sarah manages.
“It was like getting punched in the gut,” she said. “It was heartbreaking. They killed our bees, killed them. We’re estimating about 50 hives out of the bunch, so tens of thousands of bees.”
Family members say the beehive farm destroyed was one of 25, spread across the region.
They are hopeful that Ohioville police can find whoever is responsible.
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