Florida Pastor Caught Stealing Beehives Red-Handed

A south Florida pastor was caught in a literal sting operation recently, as the frustrated owner of stolen beehives caught the pastor red-handed. Yoel Torres, a 54-year-old pastor from the Miami area, was caught on security cameras sneaking into a beekeeper’s yard and stealing the hives, the Miami Herald reported.

The hives belonged to beekeeper Wainsworth Brown, who set up a video recording system to hopefully capture whoever was trespassing on his land and stealing his bees. Footage captured over the period of multiple days showed Torres photographing the hives, loading them onto a truck and taking them. When cameras captured the truck’s tags, Brown handed over the footage to the police, who arrested Torres.

There was also an unidentified female accomplice with him. Torres is an ordained pastor at Iglesia Nuevo Comienzo in Hialeah, Florida. He actually posted photos on Facebook in December of his beekeeping hobby, which may have involved the stolen hives, per the Herald’s report.

Beekeeping has grown in popularity in Florida in recent years, thanks to friendly state laws and ideal conditions. Queens can lay eggs year-round in Florida’s warm weather, making it a popular destination for both hobbyists and commercial beekeepers.