A beekeeper is trying to save thousands of bees after someone stole a tractor and drove over his hives twice, killing up to 180,000 bees.

David Barriball, 65, told the Cornish Times nine hives, worth £3,500, were destroyed after a tractor taken from a farmyard repeatedly crushed them.

He is now trying to keep the remaining 20,000 bees alive as the colder weather approaches.

'Had I have known about it the night it happened I reckon I could have saved a lot more,' said Mr Barriball from the site near Trerulefoot. 'When I first saw it I couldn't take it in – I still can't.'

The father of six from Liskeard started beekeeping as a teenager, and returned to his hobby when he retired four years ago.

Since then he and his daughter Sarah Kitson, 33, have been building the colony and this year started selling the produce for the first time.

Mother-of-two Sarah, who is training to be a beekeeper, said: 'I can't understand why someone would do it – I feel devastated. I reckon they came in for a laugh, turned around and went back out again. The children are all absolutely shocked. It was a really numb feeling when we came here – it isn't our livelihood, but it is our family hobby. I don't think we were targeted, I just think the person has been very thoughtless.'

Offers of help have been received from beekeepers around Cornwall. Mr Barriball, who keeps bees at other sites in East Cornwall, has put in place five new hives to try to save the remaining bees and thinks it will take at least 18 months to build up the colony again.

He is offering a year's supply of honey to anyone who gives information which leads to a conviction. He thinks the culprit should be punished by working with him and the bees.

Police are investigating the incident which happened on October 19.