A Florida man has finally been reunited with most of his missing beehives after a months-long ordeal that left him without his primary source of income.
According to Tampa Bay 28, 84-year-old Citrus County beekeeper Richard Marquette saw 14 of his 20 stolen hives returned, thanks to a viral news story that generated more than two million views and mobilized beekeepers across Florida.
Marquette first reported the disappearance of his hives in July, after discovering that the apiaries—each clearly marked with his initials and state registration numbers—had been removed from a vacant lot he owns in Homosassa.
According to Marquette, the hives represented both his livelihood and as many as two million bees. He learned of the problem when he arrived to tend the hives and found a contractor clearing land well inside his property line.
“When I asked about the missing bees, the contractor said they had been moved by the landowner,” Marquette told investigators. “I said, well, I’m the owner of the land. And I didn’t move them.”
A Citrus County Sheriff's Office report identified Marquette’s new neighbor, Joseph Denick, as the person who instructed someone to relocate the hives. Denick later acknowledged that he believed the hives were on his property and admitted posting on Facebook offering them to anyone willing to pick them up.
Deputies cited a miscommunication between Denick and a land-clearing company, but after more than 90 days, the hives still hadn’t been returned, and the case was closed.
The situation shifted only after Marquette’s story aired on local news and spread across social platforms, drawing attention from beekeepers throughout the Tampa Bay area. One Pinellas County beekeeper contacted reporters with confirmation that Marquette’s bees had been located.
Last weekend, volunteers from Noble Nectar Apiaries transported the hives—an estimated 2,000 pounds of equipment and bees—from two undisclosed locations in Pinellas County. Marquette greeted the flatbed trailer “like a kid on Christmas morning,” calling the return a major relief after months of uncertainty.
Though 14 hives were recovered, six remain missing. Marquette and his attorney, Andy Lyons, are pursuing legal action to recoup the remaining equipment and the income lost from multiple honey harvests.
Marquette, who sells honey for $20 a quart, relies on his apiary after taking medical leave from his job at Walmart.
The Florida Department of Agriculture’s Bee Inspection Program is scheduled to examine the returned hives to ensure they weren’t damaged during their time away.