HOMOSASSA, Fla. — An 84-year-old Citrus County beekeeper is fighting to recover 20 active beehives that were taken from his property months ago, leaving him without his main source of income and removing up to 2 million bees from the local ecosystem.
Richard Marquette discovered his hives missing in late July from a vacant lot he owns.
The beehives, each clearly marked with his initials and state registration numbers, contained honey and represented his primary livelihood after being placed on medical leave from his Walmart job due to an injury.
"How can somebody come on my property and take my bees and not return them and not be sorry?" Marquette said.
Marquette said he learned of the problem when he went to tend to his hives on July 26.
Misunderstanding blamed for missing bees
“I encountered a contractor with a backhoe knocking down trees 50 feet inside my property line,” he said. “When I asked about the missing bees, the contractor said they had been moved by the landowner.”
"I said, well, I'm the owner of the land. And I didn't move them," Marquette said.
The Citrus County Sheriff's Office determined that Joseph Denick, who bought a lot next to Marquette's property, was responsible for the missing bees.
According to the deputy's report, there was a miscommunication, and the land clearing company mistakenly cleared Marquette's property.
The report stated Denick admitted to instructing a friend to remove the bees and expressed willingness to have them returned.
However, the bees were never returned, even after more than 90 days.
"The sheriff's department's closed the case and I'm out my money and my work and the honey crop and future honey crops," Marquette said.
When contacted, Denick admitted he created a Facebook post offering the beehives to anyone who would move them.
He said a friend of a friend took them, but he would not provide specific information about who has the hives.
Denick declined an on-camera interview and later texted that he wanted to handle the matter through the court system.
Loss of hives impacts Marquette financially
The financial impact is significant.
Marquette sells his honey for $20 per quart, and each hive can produce 20 to 40 quarts.
With 20 hives, the potential loss ranges from $8,000 to $16,000 per harvest.
In Florida, some hives can produce three honey crops per year.
"I can't figure out why they won't bring them back or at least pay me for the bees or whatever, but I haven't been able to get anything," Marquette said.
Marquette hired attorney Andy Lyons, who sent Denick a demand letter giving him seven days to respond.
"His ability to earn a living for an entire year or more has been destroyed by this, and of course the damage to the bees themselves, the queens that were in the hives, the whole ecosystem that surrounds them was wiped out in a day," Lyons said.
The missing bees represent more than just a financial loss.
Bees help pollinate up to a third of food crops and face threats of extinction from mites, diseases and pesticides.
Marquette estimates up to 2 million bees were in those hives.
Each hive was clearly marked with Marquette's initials and numbers assigned by the state for hive registration and annual inspections.
"There is no way anyone could think that this was an abandoned beehive situation. These bees were active. You have to know what you're doing in order to move these hives," Lyons said.
“Same thing as gold”
For Marquette, who got his first beehive at age 10, beekeeping is more than a hobby — it's a way of life and his current means of survival.
"Same thing as gold. Especially when you need it," he said about his honey.
Marquette plans to file a lawsuit against Denick if he doesn't help recover the bees and equipment.
Anyone with information about the missing hives should contact the Florida Department of Agriculture Bee Inspection Program.
You can contact the Florida Department of Agriculture at 1-800-435-7352 or fill out a contact form at https://contact.fdacs.gov/
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