Beehives stolen from Central California recovered in Yolo County, suspect arrested

Thousands of dollars' worth of stolen beehives were recovered by authorities in rural Yolo County this week.

The Yolo County Sheriff's Office says, on Tuesday, deputies were alerted about a number of beehive boxes that had appeared along a remote area of the northeastern part of the county.

Deputies with the department's agricultural crime unit responded and discovered that the hives were live. The hives had also apparently been modified to try and hide any identifying markings, deputies say.

California's Rural Crime Prevention Task Force helped investigators track down the rightful owner of the hives, with the Merced County Sheriff's Office revealing that the 172 beehives were reported stolen out of their jurisdiction. 

 The hives were worth tens of thousands of dollars, but the sheriff's office did not disclose an actual number. Deputies were able to return the hives to their rightful owner.

A Sacramento resident, 47-year-old Leonid Terzi, was arrested in connection to the alleged theft, but the sheriff's office noted they are still investigating.