A queen bee was killed when vandals damaged a community hive that had been set up on a playing field.
Chris Place, 74, said bricks and wooden poles appeared to have been used to lever over the hive at King George V Playing Fields in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester.
He said volunteers had spent the past year growing the thriving colony, but were now having to try to introduce a replacement queen.
Volunteers said the damage happened between 17:30 BST on 5 September and 08:30 the following morning.
Place, a volunteer beekeeper, said the hive’s metal stand was buried about 18in (46cm) into the ground but appeared to have been levered upwards using bricks and wooden poles.
Branches had also been taken from a nearby dead hedge and used to strike the hives, he said.