Elderly resident stunned after neighbor's brazen act: 'This wasn't any sort of accident'

The neighbor of an 84-year-old beekeeper caused a massive online uproar after reports that he had stolen 20 hives from the honeymaker. 

Richard Marquette, who has been tending bees for decades on a vacant lot he owns, was shocked to discover one day that his hives were gone along with all the honey that he depends on to supplement his income, AOL reported. 

"How can somebody come on my property and take my bees and not return them and not be sorry?" Marquette asked Tampa Bay 28, a local TV station. 

When a news article describing the situation was posted to Reddit, commenters were outraged. 

"How is this not an open and shut lawsuit?" one person asked incredulously. 

Another said: "The person that took them absolutely knew what he was doing. This wasn't any sort of accident."

A single hive can generate $200-500 per year, per AOL, so Marquette stood to lose $4,000-10,000 of much-needed income.

Additionally, the sudden loss of so many vital pollinators would have a dramatic impact on the local ecosystem. In addition to providing beekeepers with valuable honey and other sellable products, bees provide essential services by pollinating many kinds of plants. 

"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," Andy Lyons, an attorney representing Marquette, said, according to AOL. "The queens that were in the hives, the whole ecosystem that surrounds them was wiped out in a day."

After the publicity and uproar, the culprit returned most of the hives to Marquette, Tampa Bay 28 reported. However, much irrevocable damage already had been done, as several trees had also been cut down. 

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Even after the follow-up report was posted to Reddit, many commenters remained outraged on Marquette's behalf. 

"Glad he got most of his hives back," one wrote. "The other property owner still owes him for lost income, equipment, and bees."

Someone else added: "Returned 'most'? Literally only returned 14/20, so a third is still missing. Ridiculous!"

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