Is it permissible to burn or destroy beehives belonging to the enemy?

Primary text

The majority of scholars, including Al-Awza'i, Al-Layth, and Al-Shafi'i, permit this action, with a reported narration existing for Malik's school suggesting permissibility based on the intent to grieve and weaken the enemy, akin to killing their livestock during combat. Evidence against this practice rests upon the advice of Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq to Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, instructing him not to burn or drown hives. Ibn Mas'ud also strongly condemned burning crops and drowning hives. Furthermore, it is established that the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) forbade the killing of bees and preventing the deliberate slaughter of any animal (killing *sabr*). The destruction constitutes corruption (*ifsad*), which is prohibited by the verse {And when he turns away, he strives throughout the earth to cause corruption therein and destroy the crops and the progeny, and Allah does not love corruption} [Quran 2:205].