Beehive attack at Mid Wales honey makers is 'mindless and spiteful'

The hives belonging to Caersws-based Hilltop Honey are understood to have been targeted over the past week at a site close to Newtown.

Owner Scott Davies, 28, described the damage as "mindless and spiteful".

He said: "I really am disappointed, I'm gutted that someone would do this and I just can't understand why. All sorts of questions, where, why, how, is it personal, have all been running through my head.

"What's really hard is that we won't be able to tell how our bees are until the spring. We're unsure whether the bees have been exposed to the worst of the recent conditions because we're not sure exactly when it happened.

"Bees are tough, little creatures so hopefully fingers crossed they'll be okay but we won't know until the spring." The company has posted on its Facebook page images of the damage to the hives, which has had more than 350 shares.

"It's been heartening to see how much support we've had with everyone's kind comments on Facebook, it's the nice side of social media," said Scott. "Shame on whoever did this."

The damage comes as a blow to the firm towards the end of a successful year, as they recently announced plans to expand its workforce by about 20, as well as also celebrating after winning a contract to supply own-branded honey to more than 500 Co-op food stores across the country.

In August 2015 the company secured a contract a contract to supply 650 Tesco stores.

And in 2014 Mr Davies hit the headlines when then Prime Minister David Cameron quizzed him at a Nato conference in South Wales on whether honey would make him better in bed.

Mr Davies was giving out jars of his honey to world leaders including Mr Cameron and US president Barack Obama at a Nato conference in South Wales. When he handed Mr Cameron his pot, the Prime Minister asked: "Will the honey make me better in bed?"