Beekeepers in Northland are taking a huge financial hit from a string of beehive thefts in the region.

Almost $100,000 dollars worth of beehives have been stolen in the past eight months near Kawakawa.

John Hartnell of Federated Farmers believes the thieves are likely to be aware of the increase in Manuka honey prices and wanting to make some money out of it.

"People that are coming in and doing it probably have a little bit of knowledge," he said. "I doubt whether they're just picking them up."

Hartnell, the bee section chairman, claims that it takes about a year for a hive to produce honey fit for sale so beekeepers will have to start again from scratch.

"If somebody comes along and punches your cattle-beast out of the paddock, it's the same kind of principle, a beehive's like that. The farmer loses their production unit."

Local beekeeper Graham Wilson, who has recently lost 40 hives, said that as well as being an expense and hassle for beekeepers, the thefts put the industry at risk.

"We normally have a register that we can go around and start checking [if there's a disease outbreak]," Wilson said. "If they aren't registered MAF aren't going to know where they are if they can't be checked."

"It's a potential disease risk for us as well."

Police will be checking any suspicious sightings against a beekeeper database and seizing stolen hives.

The honey export industry is worth over $100 million a year.