WHEATLEY, Ont. -- Police in southwestern Ontario are appealing to the public for help in identifying suspects in a recent bee hive theft.

Chatham-Kent police say 13 hives disappeared from a property near Wheatley, Ont., sometime in November or December.

Const. Renee Cowell says the hives belonged to a local resident who tends bees as a hobby and had 380 hives on the property.

Cowell says the people responsible for the thefts clearly had knowledge of how to safely transport hives.

Police have not made any arrests or identified suspects in the case.

Anyone with information on the case is being asked to come forward.

This report by the Canadian Press was first published Jan. 7, 2020.