Honeybee farmer estimates $20K in losses after suspected bee poisoning

A man who runs a honeybee farm in Stafford County, Virginia, says someone deliberately poisoned his bees, killing about half the population and costing him an estimated $20,000 in business.

Jerry Mattiaccio called the attack personal and cruel.

He walked his property Sunday morning and discovered thousands of dead honeybees — pile after pile at the mouth of the boxes where the bees do their beautiful and delicious work.

The piles indicate someone sprayed pesticide or poison directly into colonies, Mattiaccio said.

“There's no way this is accidental," he said.

Mattiaccio estimates about $20,000 in losses, but what really stings is that bees — even if they're a business — are uninsurable.

“It's not gonna cripple me,” he said. “It won't put me out of business but it just sets me back a little bit."

Entomologists at Washington State University project that honeybee colonies could decline up to 70% this year due to several factors. Mattiaccio said the bulk of his business is selling colonies to orchard farmers.

“I think at most you're dealing with somebody who is not knowledgeable about this," he said.

Mattiaccio said he filed a report with the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, which confirms a detective is looking into the case.

Mattiaccio is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to a conviction. A small business in Fredericksburg — Mason-Dixon Cafe — said it would match that price. Another business reached out Wednesday wanting to chip in, Mattiaccio said.

“It let's you know there's some good people out there,” he said.

Mattiaccio keeps his honeybees on his large residential property in a rural but residential area. Some neighbors have taken issue with his business over the years, he said, but he’s never experienced anything like this.