BEST spycam /field cam

[For want of a better word]

Have a new apiary site, previous beekeeper has given up, site will take 40 colonies.....

BUT it is within thieving distance of the Plymouth City Scum... there have not been any problem in the last 20 years.....
and if you did not know there were bees there you would walk straight passed them!!

Suggestions for the best and most reasonably priced trail cam would be appreciated.

Farmers son has a house fairly close to the new apiary and said he would keep a watch over it... I am just feeling a little nervous in putting £24K worth of stock on the site.

Got a good O2 signal... even spoke to my son in his new paintball center in Newquay without sounding if he was 80 fathoms down!!


Chons da

 

[Ian123]

Bees have been there 20 years and no problem sounds good to me unless you’ve got power there and can send notifications to your phone then all the trail cam will do is give you pics of them nicking the hives. More to the point most give such a grainy pic their mother would not recognise them.

 

[Millet]

I have a trail camera here that links to my mobile phone...the battery life however is rubbish..2 days maximum even less if you have mice and rabbits running about..

 

[Newbeeneil]

I have a trail camera here that links to my mobile phone...the battery life however is rubbish..2 days maximum even less if you have mice and rabbits running about..

Which trail camera is that millet? I've put a small solar cell onto a tracker which tops up the battery. The tracker used to last a matter of days now it keeps between 75-100% even at present light levels.

 

[Millet]

Which trail camera is that millet? I've put a small solar cell onto a tracker which tops up the battery. The tracker used to last a matter of days now it keeps between 75-100% even at present light levels.

https://z-aim.com/en/trail-cameras/wireless-game-camera/scoutguard/scout-guard-sg550m-12mhd/

Unbelievably good Quality but the battery life is rubbish..you need a separate sim to link it to your phone..

 

[Poly Hive]

24k divided by 40 = £600 by my calc here.

Gold plated supers?

PH

 

[Newbeeneil]

Assembled national from Thornes =£435 + Nuc at £250 = £685. That's how an insurance company would value it.

 

[For want of a better word]

Assembled national from Thornes =£435 + Nuc at £250 = £685. That's how an insurance company would value it.

Spot on.. that is almost exactly the value the NFU Mutual put on my full colonies, but do not cover consequential losses such as loss of honey sales and loosing some of my best friends!

For power I was thinking of a 150Ah Tracter battery and a solar cell ?

 

[Stiffy]

Bees have been there 20 years and no problem sounds good to me unless you’ve got power there and can send notifications to your phone then all the trail cam will do is give you pics of them nicking the hives. More to the point most give such a grainy pic their mother would not recognise them.

More likely to nick the cameras. I use trail cameras for work and as security at a plot of land I own and have had several stolen over the years. Police reckon that thieves steal the cameras and dump to save them being identified.
S

 

[Millet]

More likely to nick the cameras. I use trail cameras for work and as security at a plot of land I own and have had several stolen over the years. Police reckon that thieves steal the cameras and dump to save them being identified.
S

The camera I have emails you the video footage and photos.

 

[Stiffy]

The camera I have emails you the video footage and photos.

So did one of mine that was stolen, a hoodie hides identification as they take it down even as in the case of mine, if the camera was half way up a tree.
The problem with GSM camera traps as I am sure you have found, is they trigger when anything passes and after a month or two of changing batteries every two days and being woken up by a cat, moth, rabbit etc. you get fed up and ignore and rely on the internal memory which is then lifted by a thief.
Fantastic bits of kit, which are extremely useful. We set several up at a local isolated cemetery to discover which mammals were disturbing some old burials as there both badgers and rabbits in the area. Thankfully the images showed it was rabbits which can be dealt with much easier.
S

 

[For want of a better word]

Hope they were not making love in dead Earnest!


Must be a method of making cameras less visible or more secure.

Wondered if a high vis camera would be more of a deterrent?

Chons da

 

[Murox]

Hope they were not making love in dead Earnest!


Must be a method of making cameras less visible or more secure.

Wondered if a high vis camera would be more of a deterrent?

Chons da

Probably a combination of highly overt/ highly visible "cameras" and deterrents and some extremely covert measures.

 

[outdoorman]

GPS Tracker

I would be tempted to put a small GPS tracker on some of the hives as well.
That way if they are moved or stolen you might be able to track them down.
You can pick these up now for £5.00 - £10.00 each

Mark the outside of the hives with smart water so that if you do track them down you can prove to the police that they are yours.

Just some additional ideas

 

[For want of a better word]

I would be tempted to put a small GPS tracker on some of the hives as well.
That way if they are moved or stolen you might be able to track them down.
You can pick these up now for £5.00 - £10.00 each

Mark the outside of the hives with smart water so that if you do track them down you can prove to the police that they are yours.

Just some additional ideas

eBay item number:
153764285832
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.

With indelible ink..... probably would get sued for wrecking their hoodies although other beekeepers would possibly be more likely to go bee rustling?

Yeghes da

 

[Dariusz]

eBay item number:
153764285832
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.

With indelible ink..... probably would get sued for wrecking their hoodies although other beekeepers would possibly be more likely to go bee rustling?

Yeghes da

this number on ebay mean nothing,can you correct please

 

[pargyle]

this number on ebay mean nothing,can you correct please

Yes it does ... but this is what it relates to:

MAJORPAINTBALL LANDMINE M80TR

Try that in your search bar.

 

[Murox]

Brilliant - but it does not look very painful!!

 

[oxnatbees]

Alternatively...

If the farmer's son lives nearby how about a car alarm. Someone moves a hive, it blares away, maybe rouses the bees too.

As I understand it a key consideration these days is not to arrange the hives in rows as they are then easily recognisable as a hive array on Google Maps (satellite view). Are there trees they could be semi hidden under? Maybe we ought to paint hive roofs in camouflage colours these days!

 

[Millet]

If the farmer's son lives nearby how about a car alarm. Someone moves a hive, it blares away, maybe rouses the bees too.

As I understand it a key consideration these days is not to arrange the hives in rows as they are then easily recognisable as a hive array on Google Maps (satellite view). Are there trees they could be semi hidden under? Maybe we ought to paint hive roofs in camouflage colours these days!

That is not a bad idea about the car alarm..the hive could be placed on a pressure switch and as soon as the weight is taken of the switch have a loud siren could be rigged up to the switch..obviously only any good if someone lives in the area.