Bee rustlers are using drones to pinch honey farms – electronic ones, that is, rather than drone bees.
The expert raiders specialise in kidnapping queen bees rather than pilfering honey or equipment like opportunist thieves.
They are deploying drones to case farms and other remote houses where hives are hidden away from the road.
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The thefts are driving many commercial beekeepers out of business. Once their hives are scoped out by the drones and robbed, they immediately lose all their honey profits.
With repeated thefts the under-pressure end up breeding bees to replace stolen ones – until they decide to cut their losses and sell up.
Guy Williams, 60, from Skidbrooke, Lincs, quit beekeeping after 20 years after his queens were abducted five times.
He believed the thieves were professionals as they took his specialist strain of bees that produce more honey.
"It was obvious they knew what they were doing,'' he said.
"They weren't interested in taking the hive or any of the equipment. They were only interested in stealing the bees.''
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Police were unable to find the culprits and Guy has now sold off the remaining bees, hives, his equipment and honey jars.
He believes he was targeted by spy drones as his hives were not visible from the road or a nearby track.
Diane Drinkwater, who chairs The British Beekeepers Association, warned: "We encourage people to mark their equipment and be aware of where they place their hives so they are not too visible to the public.
"But quite often it's the bees that have the value – more than the kit.''
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Since 2011 millions of bees have been stolen from across Britain.
At least 135 hives have been swiped with West Mercia and Lincolnshire proving hotspots.
A good colony is worth £500 and a few particularly fertile queen bees could bring in up to £180.
Ian Campbell, of the British Beekeepers Association, said: "The theft of bees and beehives is a serious crime that can affect beekeepers along with the vandalism of hives.
"It can be devastating for the individual beekeeper both financially and because of the time and care that goes into looking after honey bees.
"Recent reports of finding hive locations using drones is a concern as this could make finding hives easier without first trespassing on private land.''
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