Members of the Kendall Community Global Garden have been left devastated after their native bee hive was stolen.
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The volunteers who maintain the garden made the grim discovery when they arrived for work on Thursday, June 24.
The native bee hive has been an integral part of the garden for over five years. It had been stolen along with a collection of herbs.
"We are all shocked and in disbelief that anyone could steal from a community garden," volunteer Tin Hta Nu said.
"Our garden has both aesthetic and practical value.
"We are a group dedicated to supporting the community and we are devastated."
The group has nurtured the bees through intense summers, when some experienced bee keepers lost their hives to the heat.
"We are concerned for the bees," volunteer Marg Wallin said .
"If the thief doesn't know how to care for a native bee hive, then the bees will most probably die."
The hive provides community members with a social focus, education and pollinators for the garden's flowering plants.
Laurieton Police have been notified by the garden's volunteers.
Elke Knebel said it's disappointing the fantastic community resource has been destroyed by personal greed.
The Global Garden is a community resource. It provides practical information for new or old gardeners, with an emphasis on growing food.