Bees stolen from an Anglesey farm, North Wales Police

[Thymallus]

It's a strange time to be looking in hives specifically for queens, unless they were marked with say a fluorescent paint and thief had a UV torch. Without wishing to add any further distress to the OP, it would have made more sense to take the whole hive.
I've also had a couple of queens stop laying and thought one had disappeared (I saw the other one). Then both started laying, as per normal. I presumed, perhaps wrongly, that it was down to the lack of any nectar coming it. Supercedure cells knocked down and all back to normal (fingers crossed).

 

[TOBY-3652]

It's a strange time to be looking in hives specifically for queens, unless they were marked with say a fluorescent paint and thief had a UV torch. Without wishing to add any further distress to the OP, it would have made more sense to take the whole hive.
I've also had a couple of queens stop laying and thought one had disappeared (I saw the other one). Then both started laying, as per normal. I presumed, perhaps wrongly, that it was down to the lack of any nectar coming it. Supercedure cells knocked down and all back to normal (fingers crossed).

been a funny year here with queens.. you see them nice brood pattern then look couple of weeks later no queen just 3 or 4 queen cells had about 6 or 7 like that this year and as I said got 2 queenless at the moment. that had them 4 weeks ago bee inspector said hese had the same

 

[TOBY-3652]

queens

[quot

 

[bees4u]

queen

been a funny year here with queens.. you see them nice brood pattern then look couple of weeks later no queen just 3 or 4 queen cells had about 6 or 7 like that this year and as I said got 2 queenless at the moment. that had them 4 weeks ago bee inspector said hese had the same

I've been having the same trouble queens laying up nicely then finding blooming virgins running around, i've seen it quite alot, can see there's going to be a lot of drone layers in the spring

 

[Felinhoneybees]

if it happened to you!!!!!!

yes I heard £80-00 and did I read right that they stole the queens at 9. 30 at night??? HOW can they see them in the dark and im sure the owner has had them pinched. but this year especially queens have been seen in my hives 1 week then gone the next. had bee inspector here 4 weeks ago we marked 15 queens I looked last week and 2 are queenless no eggs// no brood// no queen.. now where have they gone??? have they been stolen I could think they have. how does the lady know that they have been stolen.. obviously the hive has ,but the queens who knows
this post is not to get at anyone but how does she know the queens have been nicked at 9 30???

As "the lady" is on here you could always ask.............. Here on Anglesey in July (summer) it is still daylight at 9:30 and the reason we know the time is that a witness came forward to the police to say she saw "the man" loading his car with my bees!!!!!!!! We now have 247 hives so I think you'll agree I'm not an idiot or a novice. There was brood capped and uncapped so stop being such a nasty person............. We do as beekeepers support each other be to bee blunt (excuse the pun) I have had more support from non beekeepers about this horrible thing than the old farts in the bee suits. . . . .

 

[TOBY-3652]

still don't think they were stolen at half nine at night

 

[Millet]

still don't think they were stolen at half nine at night

How do you know.. DID you steal them. ?

 

[TOBY-3652]

ha very funny but the question is does the owner know they were pinched?? did the owner actually see them being pinched?? but really 3 queens stolen and 30-000 bees that's 30-003 at half nine at night?? come on im not saying they wernt pinched but the owner says they were how does she know??????????

 

[midnight sun]

Well if they did steal from 'piss poor' hives, my deductive reasoning would say that the thief or thieves new next to nothing about beekeeping. WHY! That means it could be any one of us on this very forum!..........Ok, I'll get me' coat!

 

[BeeJayBee]

still don't think they were stolen at half nine at night

Whyever not? It's a good time to move hives and take almost all the colony with you, and there's enough light to see what you're doing.

 

[TOBY-3652]

Whyever not? It's a good time to move hives and take almost all the colony with you, and there's enough light to see what you're doing.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Whyever not? It's a good time to move hives and take almost all the colony with you, and there's enough light to see what you're doing.

If I remember from the beginning of this thread - it was alleged that only the queens were taken in most instances, I can't see anyone managing that feat by torchlight!!.
I hear that the whole episode is a constant topic of amusement all over the island now and, i noticed amongst the rather mediocre writings in the WBKA autumn magazine that others are jumping on the bandwagon. Another beekeeper finding one of his hives queenless, and learning of a bait hive being placed in neighbouring woodland put two and two together, came up with sixty nine and quite logically smilielol5:) has come to the conclusion that the person who was looking for a free colony had pinched his queen!!!!

 

[Erichalfbee]

WBKA autumn magazine ..........or it might be the Christmas one.
I see Monty Don's top bar get an amusing mention too

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

WBKA autumn magazine ..........or it might be the Christmas one.
I see Monty Don's top bar get an amusing mention too

I haven't had the Christmas one - this was the one we had a month or two ago and I don't seem to be able to find it now, I only skimmed through it - a lot of mediocre articles in there - one regular suggesting we should have a proper debate on holes in crownboards!! so to be honest I just chucked it down with disdain - it will turn up in the study one day

 

[Swarm]

I wouldn't be fretting JBM, you've not missed much. On the bright side, it contains the last article from the above.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Whyever not? It's a good time to move hives and take almost all the colony with you, and there's enough light to see what you're doing.

It's true, though, it is a good time to move bees!

Whether or not it's a good time to rummage through a hive and find the queen is another matter.

 

[Erichalfbee]

a lot of mediocre articles in there

Our BKA forwarded a letter pleading for articles and committee members, saying the association was dying and might have to affiliate itself with the BBKA
Sorry

 

[TOBY-3652]

Whyever not? It's a good time to move hives and take almost all the colony with you, and there's enough light to see what you're doing.

but it was only 3 queens// surely looking through hives at half nine at night to find a queen is a bit daft wouldn't u look in the day when a lot of bees were out foraging?? as I under stand it the hive was stolen sometime before... someone saw someone loading boxes in a car?? was this when the hive was stolen or when the queens disappeared into thin air