Weed Stings

Forget recent wild stories about dangerous animals protecting illegal marijuana grow-ops: alligators in Florida or big cats in Africa. From Russia with love, here comes the newest addition to the Guardians of the Garden - Animal Blackwater Team: angry & violent cannabees!

Forget recent wild stories about dangerous animals protecting illegal marijuana grow-ops: alligators in Florida or big cats in Africa. From Russia with love, here comes the newest addition to the Guardians of the Garden - Animal Blackwater Team: angry & violent cannabees!

The bees were located in hives in the middle of a cannabis field. The now famous ‘sting operation’ took place not far from the city of Kostroma, some 350km northwest of Moscow. In August 2014 five hundred cannabis plants were discovered there and Russian police attempted to clear a plantation. Unexpectedly, they met a very effective form of resistance, after being attacked and sent fleeing from the scene by hordes of angry bees. Officers had to return later wearing protective gear. They were stung repeatedly, but nobody died or suffered any allergic reactions – except for a few warrior bees.

As part of the operation, the police arrived at the scene to see whether rumors that a large amount of cannabis was growing were true. Law enforcement officer Valery Vekhov tells his side of the story: “When we got to the place where cannabis was growing, there were a number of beehives. When we tried to remove the cannabis plants, the bees started to attack us aggressively. We had to leave in order to get protective gear from the owner.” To make the defeat worse, the owner explained that the cannabis plants had grown wildly. They were growing in the vicinity, up to a height of 2 meters; however, the owner was unaware he was doing anything illegal. When asked why he had not destroyed them, the owner said that he did not have enough time as he was busy attending to the bees. The plantation was eventually destroyed and the cannabis taken away. Police are now trying to determine whether the bees were specifically put within the cannabis field in order to guard it, in the event that someone would try and destroy it. It is illegal to grow cannabis in Russia and if it is proved that the owner willingly grew the plant, he could face up to eight years in jail.

Many people know from the series of hilarious short documentary movies on YouTube that Russia is not just the biggest place on earth - Russia is more like a certain state of mind. As the Russians say themselves: things can be both scary and funny at the same time. In the current state of the Russian military mind, we can soon expect more news from the Wild East about highly trained war insects, ready to attack and kill poor people like the intoxicated and hungry cops (this is not a joke: alcoholism, brutality and corruption among police is a huge and officially recognized problem in Russia) or anyone else attempting to rob local cannabis plantations. The largest country in the world has the potential to become again a land flowing with milk, honey and cannabis.

Don’t steal my weed, honey!

It’s worth remembering here a similar story about cannabis & honey-loving bears from Canada. In late 2010, BBC News and other major media organizations reported that police raiding a marijuana farm in Canada were astonished to find black bears guarding the crops. The police issued a statement that “a pair of marijuana growers used a team of wild animals including black bears, raccoons, and pigs to guard their illegal drugs operation near the US-Canadian border.” This strange tale has gotten even stranger after someone stole the confiscated pot from the police locker and tried to protect it with sticks of stolen dynamite, rigged with homemade fuses. The officers also found a grenade, a 12-gauge shotgun, and two rifles. The marijuana stash had been seized again. 

The owners of the Happy Farm have been arrested on charges of production and possession of a controlled substance. They are also facing animal cruelty charges. In Canada, feeding bears is illegal as it increases the likelihood of bears coming into towns and cities to look for food.

Police commonly find dogs, armed human guards, or booby-traps around marijuana growing operations. Gangs often use dangerous creatures to protect their turf: pumas, hyenas, crocodiles or gorillas. Many big and small animals (incl. micro-organisms and insects) can be employed to protect cannabis plants. Share your natural solutions with others!