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© UnknownMillions of dead bees mysterious turn up in the southern part of Brevard County.
Millions of dead bees mysterious turn up in the southern part of Brevard County.

Officials with the Department of Agriculture are trying to figure out what caused them to die. They have gathered samples of the dead bees and send them to the state lab to be tested.

Officials with the state told News 13 over the phone that it appears some type of aerial application of a pesticide might have been sprayed on the area. However, they said it is too early in the investigation to know for sure.

Two beekeepers were affected and this mystery is a huge loss for both of them.

Fellsmere beekeeper Charles Smith said the dead bees were supposed to be bound for California to help pollinate almond trees.

Charles Smith is the owner of the Smith Family Honey Company. He was been involved in the beekeeping industry for 32 years and said this recent loss is devastating.

"I'm a pretty tough guy but it is heart wrenching and not only is it a monetary loss here but we work really hard on these bees to keep them in good health and to grow bees more and more for other beekeepers to buy from us and travel the country and pollinate several crops," Smith said.

He said his bees pollinate cranberry and almond tress all over the country and are used to make honey.

On Monday, Smith came out to check on his bees and discovered they were dead or in the process dying. He said he sent his sons to scope out surrounding areas to see if other locations were having problems.

He thinks some kind of chemical was sprayed on his bees. But he said he will not point the finger at anyone until he has all the facts and test results.

There should be a better understanding of what happened once the tests determine what type of chemical, if any, killed the bees.

Smith said there is a total of six separate locations where dead bees cover the ground. The areas are all located within a few square miles -- two miles west of Babcock Street and 1.5 miles in each direction of Deer Run Road in Malabar.

"All the agencies need to be careful of what we spray," Smith said. "Farmers need to be careful of what we spray and look out for this."

Smith said his hives usually hold anywhere between 10,000 to 15,000 bees.

There were roughly 800 hives affected between the two beekeepers.

Smith said it is at least a $150,000 loss, which is a major setback.

He said he will work to recover his loss and figure out who is responsible.

"To be wiped out like this unintentionally, we don't need to have this happened," Smith said.

Test results are expected back within the next few weeks.