Town assuring fans of celebrated and now missing Whitby bee sculpture will ‘bee’ right back

A bee-utiful public art piece in Whitby made famous last fall when pieces of it were sawed of and stolen is missing from its prominent spot across the street from the historic Centennial Building and Courthouse Theatre.

The town, however, said before fans of the ‘The Hive,’ a commission by tree carver Ryan Locke that transformed the trunk of a century-old black walnut tree into a honeycomb with intricately carved bees, start “buzzing” about the missing sculpture, “rest assured, all is well.”

Located in front of a Durham Region social housing project that is being redeveloped later this year into a new 30-unit three storey building, the sculpture has been carefully removed and is being safely stored.

“This is only temporary, and The Hive will be returned to the same location at a later date once the site is ready,” the town said in a post on its socials. “We know this piece of art has really hit the sweet spot with the community and we appreciate everyone’s patience while you await its return.”

“The Hive is healthy, and the bees will soon be back where they belong.”

Last September police were looking for the public’s help after two wood-carved bees that were affixed to the sculpture were sawed off and stolen in an apparent act of vandalism.

The sculpture, which created quite the buzz when it was installed the previous year, was the first public art project completed under Whitby’s new Public Art Policy and was completed in time for World Bee Day on May 20, 2024.

The piece celebrated environmental conservation and recognized Whitby’s designation as an official Bee City in 2022.

The missing pieces were later returned and re-attached and police did not say if the crime was a youthful prank or give any other details about the missing bees.