Attempted Hive Thefts

[Gilberdyke John]

It is probably very much leaving yourself open to prosecution should an individual become impaled, whether they had malicious intentions or not,
I would not want to test this in a court.

An old mate of mine used to have a water bath inside his garage door and a live wire with 240v, which was great until he got broken in & the scumbag got fried, he did nearly die actually.
My mate got a suspended sentence
[/QUOT

Listening to a local farmer at the time of the incident his vocal opinion in the local hostelry was that Tony Martin should have nailed all the scrotes that burgled his house and used a JCB to make sure no-one found out by interring them really deep.

 

[Hedgerow Honey]

I agree, best course of action, but consequences have to be considered. Tony Martin wold have probably got away with a slapped wrist had the gun used not been unregistered, and he had not shot the lad in the back.
my Firearms officer at the time said jokingly, “ if you shoot somone make sure you are looking them in the eye“.

 

[jeff33]

I am lucky enough to have my 3 apiaries on private land, not visible from anyone other than me and the land owner, and not accessible other than by driving through the farm yard. One of the farmers has offered me a shotgun because he had too many and was going to be subjected to really strict storage conditions. I declined it based on the fact that I would happily use it on any 2 legged scum

 

[debbie.jane61]

I am lucky enough to have my 3 apiaries on private land, not visible from anyone other than me and the land owner, and not accessible other than by driving through the farm yard. One of the farmers has offered me a shotgun because he had too many and was going to be subjected to really strict storage conditions. I declined it based on the fact that I would happily use it on any 2 legged scum

Mine are also on a farm with no public footpaths nearby but that doesnt deter the dog walkers walking in front of them. I saw two guys with metal detectors last week and I stopped to ask if theyd found anything. "About 70p and some old cans but we did get stung by bees" they said; opps sorry but not sorry

 

[sipa]

If by chance you were to catch the scrotes in the act of stealing bees.....
Always keep a baseball bat in the vehicle, just remeber to always have a used baseball with you as well. Then you arn't carrying the bat with the intent to do harm. It's just something you picked up to defend yourself with.

 

[Anduril]

If by chance you were to catch the scrotes in the act of stealing bees.....
Always keep a baseball bat in the vehicle, just remeber to always have a used baseball with you as well. Then you arn't carrying the bat with the intent to do harm. It's just something you picked up to defend yourself with.

I know someone who went down for 6 months for using a baseball bat that was in his car

 

[blackcloud]

Your hives may well be visible on Google earth-mine are.

The latest break in near my apiary was at a stables.
Nothing of equestrian nature other than the contents of the drug cabinet were taken but all the power tools ,chainsaws etc were gone.

Oddly the quad bike was wheeled out into the yard but abandoned there.

Did they get spooked or just give up?
No one will ever know because they took the camera system hard drive
We will always be two steps behind.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Your hives may well be visible on Google earth-mine are.

The latest break in near my apiary was at a stables.
Nothing of equestrian nature other than the contents of the drug cabinet were taken but all the power tools ,chainsaws etc were gone.

Oddly the quad bike was wheeled out into the yard but abandoned there.

Did they get spooked or just give up?
No one will ever know because they took the camera system hard drive
We will always be two steps behind.

I run a couple of CCTV systems. It's important to ensure the recorder is secure in a well hidden place. One of the diy shops in a nearby town installed CCTV with the recorder and monitor proudly placed on view next to the till, within a few feet of the door. The owner was quite bemused when I suggested he locate the recorder out of sight as it would be the first thing a burglar would take. In the end it's hidden in a false ceiling with the cabling concealed. The monitor is screwed to the wall still near the till but acts as a deterrent.
Infra red illuminators on cameras are another weak point. Many can be easily seen by the dull red glow. True invisible infra reds are available for similar money but not stocked by many outlets. Using one power source for multiple cameras leaves the system vulnerable to damage by cutting the cable, shorting out the power to all the cameras. Much better to have separate local power for each camera so one failure leaves others quietly working.

 

[Sutty]

You can get "cloud storage" for some camera systems which removes the "nick the recorder too" issue.
I'm sure it would be possible to stream to you own remote storage.

 

[pargyle]

I know someone who went down for 6 months for using a baseball bat that was in his car

If by chance you were to catch the scrotes in the act of stealing bees.....
Always keep a baseball bat in the vehicle, just remeber to always have a used baseball with you as well. Then you arn't carrying the bat with the intent to do harm. It's just something you picked up to defend yourself with.

Not very good advice ... if the Police proved intent to cause injury, the least they could have you for is possesion of an offensive weapon, I've seen a rolled up newspaper classed as an offensive weapon ! Unless a weapon is used in self defence (and even then you may have to prove 'reasonable force') you could be in a lot of trouble just carrying a baseball bat with you ,let alone using it an offensive way.. Waiving a weapon at someone is threatening behaviour ... really dodgy to suggest people carry a weapon of any sort.

Unless you regularly participate in playing baseball and can prove it - leave the baseball bat in the umbrella stand in the hall at home where it's a decorative item.

 

[Anduril]

Not very good advice ... if the Police proved intent to cause injury, the least they could have you for is possesion of an offensive weapon, I've seen a rolled up newspaper classed as an offensive weapon ! Unless a weapon is used in self defence (and even then you may have to prove 'reasonable force') you could be in a lot of trouble just carrying a baseball bat with you ,let alone using it an offensive way.. Waiving a weapon at someone is threatening behaviour ... really dodgy to suggest people carry a weapon of any sort.

Unless you regularly participate in playing baseball and can prove it - leave the baseball bat in the umbrella stand in the hall at home where it's a decorative item.

Totally agree, this person took a six month sabbatical and came back to work after the imprisonment.

 

[Moobee]

Not very good advice ... if the Police proved intent to cause injury, the least they could have you for is possesion of an offensive weapon, I've seen a rolled up newspaper classed as an offensive weapon ! Unless a weapon is used in self defence (and even then you may have to prove 'reasonable force') you could be in a lot of trouble just carrying a baseball bat with you ,let alone using it an offensive way.. Waiving a weapon at someone is threatening behaviour ... really dodgy to suggest people carry a weapon of any sort.

Unless you regularly participate in playing baseball and can prove it - leave the baseball bat in the umbrella stand in the hall at home where it's a decorative item.

What about a nice sharp hive tool??

 

[Blunt Spike]

If by chance you were to catch the scrotes in the act of stealing bees.....
Always keep a baseball bat in the vehicle, just remeber to always have a used baseball with you as well. Then you arn't carrying the bat with the intent to do harm. It's just something you picked up to defend yourself with.

I appreciate that this was probably tongue in cheek but, good luck with that one. As soon as you use a base ball bat as a weapon it becomes just that. If that "use" causes injury the onus would be on you to justify the "use," and that the level of violence was reasonable in the circumstances.

A common assault occurs if the other person is left shaken up merely by a threat.
S4 of the public order act (threatening behaviour) could also apply.

Common law does provide some protection for self defence.
Section 3 of criminal law act also provides some protection re use of force to prevent a crime occurring.

I would say get to a safe distance and mobile phone with a camera is the best option, photograph them or video them and capture vehicles and number plates then contact the Popo.4 If you're lucky, 3 or 4 days later they may arrive.

Am I saying that you can't intervene - absolutely not. Just done put yourself at risk of getting hurt or prosecuted.

 

[Malcolm B.]

Branding Irons are readily available for woodworkers to 'Burn in' their sales details to the various objects they produce. Our son-in-law produces various items and each one has his name and contact details burnt into the wood somewhere out of plain sight.

If both Brood and Super frames had the Beekeepers name and address burnt into them - say, a couple along the top and one or two on each side bars - giving , perhaps four locations identifying the ownership of the frame, this might be a deterrent to the Bee Rustlers.

This might be particularly effective if there were external signs stating "Warning - All Hive Frames here have been permanently engraved for identification purposes"

The thieves would have to somehow transfer the comb onto new frames. A tedious and time consuming process. They would also know that they would have in their possession (for a while, anyway) clearly incriminating evidence.

Our son-in-law's branding iron is electric. It's not very much different to a powerful soldering iron. I would guess it would take probably an extra minute to 'Brand' each new frame -and when compared to having to replace even just five hives and their contents, the time factor pales into insignificance.

Keepers with just a few hives could probably quite successfully burn/brand their frames by hand. Even at an 'Out Apiary', a gas powered soldering iron could be used.

I wonder if this might help you sleep to better at night.

Kind regards,

Malcolm B.

 

[Garry R]

How about this down the frame side bar or top

Makes it more difficult to sell on

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28220684...wkMFEpupgCAhh7FySGBwP2MqnN2h|tkp:BFBMuI_Q0bhi

 

[Sutty]

Branding Irons are readily available for woodworkers to 'Burn in' their sales details to the various objects they produce. Our son-in-law produces various items and each one has his name and contact details burnt into the wood somewhere out of plain sight.

If both Brood and Super frames had the Beekeepers name and address burnt into them - say, a couple along the top and one or two on each side bars - giving , perhaps four locations identifying the ownership of the frame, this might be a deterrent to the Bee Rustlers.

This might be particularly effective if there were external signs stating "Warning - All Hive Frames here have been permanently engraved for identification purposes"

The thieves would have to somehow transfer the comb onto new frames. A tedious and time consuming process. They would also know that they would have in their possession (for a while, anyway) clearly incriminating evidence.

Our son-in-law's branding iron is electric. It's not very much different to a powerful soldering iron. I would guess it would take probably an extra minute to 'Brand' each new frame -and when compared to having to replace even just five hives and their contents, the time factor pales into insignificance.

Keepers with just a few hives could probably quite successfully burn/brand their frames by hand. Even at an 'Out Apiary', a gas powered soldering iron could be used.

I wonder if this might help you sleep to better at night.

Kind regards,

Malcolm B.

A combination of that & a tracking device could be good, at least identifies all your hives for potential recovery.

 

[ericbeaumont]

thieves would have to somehow transfer the comb onto new frames

They'd just shook swarm & feed them and burn the combs. After all, there's time to build again before spring sale.

 

[Sutty]

They'd just shook swarm & feed them and burn the combs. After all, there's time to build again before spring sale.

I doubt they even inspect them if a quick sale can be made, and may not even be beekeepers - just acquired enough knowledge to move them safely.

 

[ericbeaumont]

quick sale

True, but a spring sale would get best price, and a sale now when word is out might raise buyers' suspicion.

 

[Malcolm B.]

I 've popped back to suggest that for new frames, perhaps a cheap CNC type laser cutter/burner could quickly and repetitively 'burn in' ownership details on the un-assembled wooden parts.

We could take it a stage further and place the assembly/ installation date for our own purposes.

We need to look at SOLUTIONS, people.! NOT obstacles.
At the very least we need DETERRENTS! - increasing the costs and nuisance to the bee rustlers.

Positive Vibes, please!

Malcolm B.