A hardworking man who lost his entire bee family to arson has opened up about his grief after thugs burned his hives.
52-year-old Mariusz Chudy from Nottingham, England, is a dedicated beekeeper whose heart was broken as thugs set his beehives alight and killed more than one million bees whom he considered to be a part of his family.
As the man revealed, he was “totally devastated” after seeing his hives either partially burned or completely destroyed.
“I do not understand these people. I am totally devastated. They have killed six colonies and all the equipment – and I don’t know why,” Chudy expressed.
As BBC reported, the beekeeper confirmed that he had not only lost his bee family but also tons of money, whereas replacing all the equipment could cost as much as $2,000 per hive destroyed.
“Petrol was poured all over the field. I am just heartbroken and completely devastated. I could not believe my eyes and cannot imagine who would do this. This is my life and someone has taken this away from me. It is a nightmare, just horrible,” Chudy added.
As of this writing, it is not clear whether the act, which was described as “deliberately cruel” and “malicious” by the Nottinghamshire Police, was random or if someone targeted Chudy and his Goldendrops Bee Farm business on purpose.
While the case remains under investigation, the Home Farm owner also expressed concerns about the effects that the arson has had on the local environment.
“Setting a fire at a farm is very dangerous and could have long-term impacts. It is not just about me and the bees, but for other farmers as well. The air has now been contaminated and it would be really difficult to go past that,” Chudy says.
Speaking to BBC was also the beekeeper’s daughter, Aleksandra, who admitted that her father now worries that the thugs might return and do even more damage.
“Dad is horrified and scared that it might not be a one-off event. As far as we know we have no enemies so we are unsure who would have done this. The farm is not one that we advertise either so not many people know the bees were there,” she said.
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