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BERTHOUD, Co (KDVR) — A Berthoud beekeeper could be at risk of losing her business after a series of overnight thefts caught on video.
For more than 20 years, Marie Koolstra has operated a self-serve honey kiosk outside of her home off Colorado Highway 56.
The box is constantly stocked with honey produced at Koolstra’s farm, and includes a drop-box for people to leave money.
“When you have a self-serve box, you are vulnerable,” she said. “You’re at the mercy of trust.”
Over the years, she says a bottle or two have gone missing, but this year, those thefts have become more frequent.
After installing a Ring security camera earlier this summer, it didn’t take long to capture the man responsible.
Surveillance video shows the man visiting the kiosk in the middle of the night at least three times, loading hundreds of dollars worth of honey into a dark SUV with the help of another individual.
The camera has been unable to obtain a license plate.
“It’s not telling me his name, or how to stop him from doing it,” said Koolstra. “But we know who he is, what he looks like.”
Koolstra is asking people to be on the lookout for the honey, which is labeled Daisy Lane Honey.
She’s started bringing it inside every night, and re-filling the box in the morning.
“I imagine he’s re-selling it,” Koolstra said.
Koolstra estimates the man has stolen around $1,000 worth of honey this year, and says she’s at risk of having to stop producing the popular product.
“I think he’s hurting a lot more people than he thinks,” Koolstra said. “I’m looking for him to stop, that’s what I want him to do is stop.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
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