An 84-year-old Citrus County beekeeper is fighting to recover 20 active beehives that were taken from his property months ago, leaving him without his main source of income and removing up to 2 million bees from the local ecosystem.

Richard Marquette discovered his hives missing in late July from a vacant lot he owns.

The beehives, each clearly marked with his initials and state registration numbers, contained honey and represented his primary livelihood after being placed on medical leave from his Walmart job due to an injury.

"How can somebody come on my property and take my bees and not return them and not be sorry?" Marquette said.

Marquette said he learned of the problem when he went to tend to his hives on July 26.

Misunderstanding blamed for missing bees

I encountered a contra

See Full Page