Professional thieves will always be able to get what they go after. But thefts also range through opportunists and vandals as well. Several strategies and ideas have been talked about and some even used around our way.
Concealment is one option, not just from paths and roads, what shows on Google is shiny roofs in orderly patterns. Paint them or use felt. An alternative is to make them more obvious, if the site is overlooked by houses get them on your side as an extra pair of eyes and make sure they can be seen from the houses. Easy access for your vehicle has the downside of easy access for a thief.
Otherwise any thief is looking for maximum gain for minimum effort and risk so you need to shift the balance. Make everything less attractive and harder to sell on by marking everything. Postcodes, phone numbers, branding, paint, marker pens. If you want to paint daisies on, that's one strategy - even an expensive bike is far less attractive painted pink. Brand new cedar is always going to be more attractive than painted ply.
Always strap the hive, ideally to the heavy slab it sits on, a chain or cable would take longer to cut and any thief would need to be 'going equipped'. External chains are good, a link using internal chains, cables or rods would be better if you can devise one. Not a neighbourly strategy but a lot of deterrence is based on the idea that easier pickings will be available elsewhere.
