A rise in the price of honey and a shortage of bees is fueling a rash of beehive thefts in the Central Valley.

Local beekeepers say thieves swipe the hives and rent them out to desperate almond ranchers who need them to pollinate their orchards.

The beekeepers are fighting back, attaching small microchips to hives, similar to those used to track pets.

Investigators say it´s hard to guard orchards from beehive theft, because the orchards are large and the poachers usually come late at night.

The pollination business has become so lucrative that some beekeepers travel from as far as Arkansas to park their bees in California for just a few weeks.