Police believe the theft of 45,000 bees may be linked to an earlier raid on a hive about 20 miles away.
The huge haul of the insects has been stolen from a wooded area in Craichie by Forfar, Angus.
It followed an appeal by police for information last week about the theft of "a large quantity" of bees from a farm in Coupar Angus, Perthshire, and are not ruling out the possibility that the two incidents are related.
In the latest incident three queen bees, the working bees and three honeycomb frames were taken.
Whoever took the bees would have had specialist knowledge about handling them, officers said. The theft took place between midnight on Saturday March 29 and midnight on Sunday April 20.
Rosie Crighton, secretary of the Aberdeen and District branch of the Scottish Beekeepers' Association, said that hives were becoming an increasingly popular target for criminals.
"Within the association we always make beekeepers aware that nowadays there is a risk," she said. "Because acquiring bees can be quite expensive, some people will help themselves. We say to keep them out of sight and to avoid publicity. If this was a small beekeeper, it could have been their entire stock.
"It's a shame it's going on, but it has been for quite a few years. If you know what you're doing you can transport them safely but you have to have specialist knowledge. It has to be done after dusk, they'd have to close up the hives and make them safe with tape or straps, then have transport suitable to take them away."
During summer months, the size of a colony can swell to 50,000 drones, commanded by a queen. It is estimated that a colony of bees costs in the region of £500.
The theft in Perthshire, which saw criminals make off with six queen bees, their workers and 18 honeycomb frames, was said to have happened between 11am on Saturday April 19 and 12pm the following day.
Police Scotland have asked that anyone who has information should contact them by calling 101.
In 2011, researchers at Dundee University hit a setback in a £2 million neuroscience research project after thousands of British black bees, which were worth up to £3500, were taken from the grounds of the city's Ninewells Hospital.
The study was investigating the potential effect of pesticides on bee learning and health.
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