VIENNA — A town south of Vienna is abuzz over the reported theft of dozens of beehives, containing about 1 million bees, from a local park.

Police said Wednesday they got involved after residents in the town of Ebreichsdorf noticed that the covers of wooden boxes containing 40 hives had been removed.

The thefts were formally reported Tuesday. Police say they could have occurred anytime since the end of March.

Beekeeper Horst Preisl put his loss at around 15,000 euros in lost honey and stolen bees, including queens.

But Preisl tells state broadcaster ORF the damage is incalculable “in terms of years of work lost.”