i live in norfolk. i have been feeding my bees every week as it is a new coloney and dont have much to eat. today i went to fill the feeder to find my hive in pieces exposing the bees inside. the supers had been laid on the floor with frames removed and placed on top. the roof had been removed and dumped on the floor. and sever bricks i use during inspections to put the boxes onto had been smashed but nothing was taken and my queen along with bees where all there. my guess is they where ether disturbed or got stung. this must have happened in the last 2 days as the hive is monitored by a friend living close by. i thought i would share this with you all in the hope that you will watch out for your hives here in norfolk as it seems there is a thief about. i have taken security measures to catch the thieves and photograph them, sending information to my phone with pictures and video in real time should any thing happen again allowing me to contact the police immediately. this seems to be a problem in norfolk recently as it has been on the news.
attempted hive theft
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Barbarian
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Welcome to the forum.
Your experience sounds a bit odd. It could be theft or vandalism.
May I suggest you think of strapping the hive and stand together ? If the hive gets pushed over there is more chance of the colony surviving until your next visit.
I would think of removing/hiding loose bricks from near the hive. They are too handy for use as ammunition for throwing at the hive.
Your experience sounds a bit odd. It could be theft or vandalism.
May I suggest you think of strapping the hive and stand together ? If the hive gets pushed over there is more chance of the colony surviving until your next visit.
I would think of removing/hiding loose bricks from near the hive. They are too handy for use as ammunition for throwing at the hive.
steve1958
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Sounds like someone was attempting to remove a 6 frame nucleus from your Hive.
Lets hope they got stung and retreated.
Lets hope they got stung and retreated.
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It doesn't sound like a professional job. More like nosey kids who then discovered there were actually bees in the hive.
Anyway, if you're feeding the bees and the supers are presumably empty you should remove them as they are serving no purpose on the hive. Maybe those kids were trying to help?
Anyway, if you're feeding the bees and the supers are presumably empty you should remove them as they are serving no purpose on the hive. Maybe those kids were trying to help?
thanks for your advise friends. i will have a visit today to check everything is in order. i am going to be fitting a remote cctv that is connected to my phone very soon. i have left the supers there as i am short on space but yes i will definatly remove them today and put them i a friends spare room till needed. as for the brick, im going to leave them there for now as i cant take them away. Thanks again. Lee.
sever bricks i use during inspections to put the boxes onto had been smashed
That bit did not strike me as a theft attempt. Thieves are usually quiet, I would think.
That bit did not strike me as a theft attempt. Thieves are usually quiet, I would think.
i understand that the broken bricks are not really a threat to the hive but it is a inconvenience i can no longer use them, it also indicates they may have had something heavy with them, like a sack barrow being dropped on them or pushed over or maybe something else. the bricks are very solid.
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Hi Lee,
what part of Norfolk was this hive in, I am in West Norfolk and 4 hives were stolen from this area in the spring.
Good luck
what part of Norfolk was this hive in, I am in West Norfolk and 4 hives were stolen from this area in the spring.
Good luck
hi pete. sorry to hear about your loss, its so upsetting when it happens after all the cost and effort put in. Without giving to much away, my hives are situated close to Acle. i live in norwich so its a drive to get to them. i even took a drive out there last night about midnight to check them. its made me very worried as they are in a location that is very quiet and private as there is no houses near by. the thieves could make as much noise as they liked and no one would have hear it.
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Hi mate, wasn't my loss, another association member lost 4 from a remote location about 15 mile from me, made the local press and radio at the time.
I keep hives in 5 locations, 3 behind gates out of sight with people living on the premises, the other 2 on farms. I paint them all green and try and tuck them behind hedges where people would have to look hard to find them.
So far all OK.
My brother had 4 hives kicked over recently by kids about 20 mile away, these hives are on a field with a right of way so people know they are there.
Hopefully your would be thiefs wont be back.
I keep hives in 5 locations, 3 behind gates out of sight with people living on the premises, the other 2 on farms. I paint them all green and try and tuck them behind hedges where people would have to look hard to find them.
So far all OK.
My brother had 4 hives kicked over recently by kids about 20 mile away, these hives are on a field with a right of way so people know they are there.
Hopefully your would be thiefs wont be back.
ichbinpaul
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Always take a spade with you from now on! your would be thieves might be unfortunate enough to suffer fatal anaphylaxis.
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Always take a spade with you from now on! your would be thieves might be unfortunate enough to suffer fatal anaphylaxis.
no better cure for a bee sting than a sharp rap on the back of the head with a garden implement (handy for disposing of the detritus afterwards as well.
Just remember your golf tutor - always follow your swing right through!!
ichbinpaul
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no better cure for a bee sting than a sharp rap on the back of the head with a garden implement (handy for disposing of the detritus afterwards as well.
Just remember your golf tutor - always follow your swing right through!!
If a job is worth doing do it yourself! but have a look around to see if anyones about first, you might even get a decent pair of boots out of it!
anybody want some landrover spares going cheap?
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