Western Bay of Plenty Police have located thousands of dollars' worth of beehives following a number of burglaries in the area recently.
Yesterday, police executed a number of search warrants in relation to the burglaries, recovering several hundred beehives at a Whakamaramara address.
Police say several firearms and a large amount of ammunition were located at the address, including a semi-auto shotgun, a 7mm 08 rifle and two semi-automatic .22's.
About 80 per cent of the beehives had their ID numbers removed, or had been disguised or repainted.
"Currently beehives are valued around $600-$1,000 each, and to have a large number stolen is a huge loss for the owners," Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner said.