Bee-ware of the Texas beehive bandit

GEORGETOWN, Texas (KXAN) - The theft of 150 pounds of honey from a beehive in a Georgetown community garden in Central Texas has left a sour taste in the mouths of those who tend to the land.

The First United Methodist Church community garden is a place to grow food for those in the community who are less fortunate and beehives help pollinate the plants.

So when news got out that someone stole part of the beehives, a lot of people got angry.

"The person knew what they were doing," said garden volunteer Davin Hoit, who helps manage the grounds.

The garden has three artificial beehives with busy bees making honey and also helps with the pollination. With just one season the garden has produced 1,330 pounds of crops, which is donated.

Someone took 150 pounds of honey from the hives this past week, about $2,000 worth.

The three man-made beehives were donated from Round Rock Honey, a local honey and bee company.

They said the thieves went straight to the chamber drawers that hold the honey, ignoring the queen and other bees.

The vegetables from the garden are sent to the  "Caring Place," a nonprofit organization that helps feed people in the community.

"When we get those garden fresh vegetables in for these families, they are really excited about that," said Jon Stock of Caring Place. "It's just wrong. We spend all day helping people -- and to have someone just help themselves, taking food away from people who need it the most [is wrong]."

Round Rock Honey plans to put in lights and cameras around the garden to help protect the hives in the future.