I am the husband of the third beekeeper on site, and also the chair of the allotment.
Firstly can I thank all of you who have commented on this thread, whilst there is nothing you can do physically, just knowing that we have your support is very uplifting.
Alldigging called me as soon as she saw what was happening and I rushed down to arrive just as the fire brigade were leaving. It was terrible to be there, in the pitch dark about 11.30pm with the smell of burning still heavy in the air, mixed with the strong smell of thinners from the other five hives.
We checked the entire allotment for other signs of damage or to identify where an intruder could have gained access, both that night and again first thing in the morning. There was no damage, and no signs of tracks in the mud (fresh or otherwise) near any potential entry points to the allotment. The only real alternative access points apart from the main gate (which is covered by CCTV) are through a panelled fence in one neighbouring garden, or through a gate (normally locked) into another.
It has been mentioned that the attack could have been targeted as only two out of three beeks' hives were attacked - it could also be that the only unaffected hive is on the other side of the apiary.
Unfortunately we have no evidece or proof as to who could have done this - we are getting advice and help from the local council (as land owner) and the local crime prevention officer who we hope can give us some practical advice.
Our local Councillors are also getting involved as they have been very supportive of us having bees on the allotment, one even going as far as giving us a grant to buy both an adult and a child's bee suit so we can show our hives off to visitors to the plot.
Whilst I appreciate the depth of feeling this disgusting action has instilled in all of us, can we please tone down the posts suggesting direct action against the perpetrator?
We have no intention of stooping to their level, and we feel sure that at some point the person or persons who have done this will not be able to resist bragging about it which will eventually lead to their apprehension, and if it turns out that they are indeed part of our allotment they will be unceremoniously turfed off.
It is a very small allotment with are only 16 of us on here, so I really do hope that it isn't.
All we can do for now is to carry on and hope that the hives attacked with thinners survive, and that the poly which was next to the fire didn't get too heated, but there has been very little activity from any of the hives on the apiary (ours included) since then, so we may potentially be looking at the loss of 6 or 7 colonies.
Andy
