Police in western Austria are investigating after two hives were toppled by an unknown perpetrator.
Investigators are understood to suspect a pupil aged between 10 and 14 of having pushed the alvearies to the ground when he passed the garden in the town of Nüziders on his way to school. The authorities have not commented on this claim.
The incident left the apiarist with around EUR 1,000 (GBP 862) in damages, according to reports by news websites.
The male beekeeper, whose name has been withheld, allegedly manages a rare bee species. Many colony members did not survive the attack. The investigation continues.
One honeybee colony can consist of up to 80,000 animals, according to Austrian honey manufacturer Honigmayr.
Nüziders is located near Bludenz in the western state of Vorarlberg. Among Vorarlberg’s 395,000 inhabitants, there are around 1,500 full-time and hobbyist beekeepers. They harvest 100,000 kilogrammes of honey on average each year.
Apiculture is most popular in the northeastern regions of Upper Austria and Lower Austria.
