Disaster

[Widdershins]

Jees, why oh why do they do it??? I will leave the story to be told by the alotment blogger........

"Disturbing news from Dad's allotments, where some herberts have broken in and knocked over the main bee-hive. Everyone is very upset, as you can imagine, none more so than Scott-the-Bees, our bee-keeper, who has (for now at least) taken the hives away with him. He says that if they had got any rain water in while lying on their sides, we could have lost the whole colony.

They had been doing really well, too, apparently, with a promise of plenty of honey this autumn, and we'd been looking forward to a jar with the allotments own logo on the label. We don't suppose Scott will be too inclined to do that any more. Dad will be lucky, they think, to get him back in the Spring.

One small silver lining on the cloud. Inspired by Scott's efforts and success, one of the allotment holders had decided to start a hive of our own, funded by the allotments but worked by himself, and he had built the hive (He's a bit of a woodworker), and persuaded Scott to take him under his wing as an apprentice bee-keeper. Scott has agreed to keep going with this, even though his own hive was damaged by the hooligans, and our man will keep his hive there, with its very small "nucleus" colony of bees, getting set up to go through the winter.

Why do the kids need to do this? We have no idea.

Shame
Deefer "

 

[ameldridge]

Why do the kids need to do this? We have no idea.

Sorry to hear this, hopefully the kids concerned got stung

 

[Widdershins]

...if I caught the b*****ds, id smear em in honey and lead em to a wasp nest!

 

[victor meldrew]

Kids are kids , probably bravado to gain street credit.
We did some mischievous things in my day(not fiully realising the consequences until they were explained, punctuated by a succession of well aimed blows).
Life was simpler then, rules were obeyed (when being observed).

John Wilkinson

 

[gandalfwhitewizard]

Yes, but thats not what i said when i found it this morning.....GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!

And sods law it was the only one without ratchet straps and staked......

Oh well my ladies are safely tucked up in my garden along with the rest..

 

[Rosti]

Sorry to hear your news Widdershins.
Unfortunate time of the year for vandalism, what with all that stored honey the girls will be very protective, pinging off the vandals veils - hang on they won't have had any! Can but hope the little bu**ers picked up a few stings along the way.
Never harbour a grudge, nurture it it and then let it go when it's good and healthy.

 

[Tom Bick]

Sorry to hear that I had a hive on my allotment and lived in fear of that sort of thing so I made a stand berried it 12 inches into the ground and had a big ratchet strap around the whole thing dont know if any vandles tryed to knock it over but after the first attempt I would have bet the bees sorted them right out Knowing just how fast the bees can react when called upon I bet the vandles who did that got it big time from the bees and they probably never ran so fast its the only good thought you can thing of in the situation
I hope you can sort it out for the future

 

[MrB]

Hmm, what sickening news!
i must admit, that is my biggest fear about having my bee's away from home (when i get them)
i guess there is not much you can do to prevent it (except perhaps as tom has done!)

Hope the girls are ok!

 

[Haughton Honey]

Very sorry to hear this. It's something that we all fear.

Sympathies.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Bl**dy annoying,but its a kid kind of dardevil thing,suspect the sport will grow,as is beekeeping.

 

[Widdershins]

Well, they're safely tucked up at home now, being monitored with a very close - and steely - eye.

Thanks for your support people

 

[Allotment Pete]

I was lost for words, when i heard the bad news. This was always our worry, and we were going to fence the girls off when they had their winter dose, but the little local urchins beat us to it.

It might be an idea to do something with local schools/authorities warning of dangers of bee stings and consequence of bee demise. (Especially here in the Garden of England!!!)

Any thoughts anyone?

 

[gandalfwhitewizard]

Pete,
I have just been in contact after a request from Howletts Zoo to have bees there for educational, demonstration purposes to the public.
I am loaning them one of the colonies removed from the willow tree last week and they have organised a suitable tree trunk to be delivered today..
I agree that this is a good idea but then "urchins" i feel wouldn't give two hoots probably give them more ways to tip them over!!
I suggest i put my really nice "following, greeting, pinging on the veil" colony and yes i am trying to re-queen them on the plot and see if they like them!! Don't think they'd get close enough to play with them!

 

[Frisbee]

I don't know really..........probably doing something in schools is a good idea, but you won't reach the youths who probably did this as for a start they maybe over school age, and when a gang get together underwhatever influences, whether it be, alcohol, drugs or just the culture of hanging out and messing around, then something that seems funny at the time i.e. "lets go and knock that beehive over". What they learnt in school that day or whenever will be the last thing in their minds. I think a gang of youths knocking over a beehive is an age old problem and will never be stopped as bravado and a large amount of humour/fun is involved. The thing to do in my mind is protect the hives so the least damage is done.

2 years ago I had two hives knocked over in the winter, both colonies perished, the second I found it the next morning, but it was cold and had been raining, brood frames had been exposed and the nest chilled and wet. Slowly I am going round all my equipment and putting on those spring clips, so if it ever happens again the boxes will stay together. Mine wasn't caused by vandals. But it would take a really brave youth to go back to a knocked over hive and try and seperate them. I think the fun they have is in the knocking over and seeing the bees coming out and coming after them.

I've just spoken to my 26 year old son who will of course have a slight insight into it and he recalled the story of The Wasp Nest in the Churchyard and throwing bricks at it, a comrade going close throwing a brick, running away, falling over.....all the while getting stung. 13 years later he still finds it highly amusing............Protect the hives from coming apart.

Frisbee

 

[ribblesbees]

... The thing to do in my mind is protect the hives so the least damage is done.

...Slowly I am going round all my equipment and putting on those spring clips, so if it ever happens again the boxes will stay together. Mine wasn't caused by vandals.

Protect the hives from coming apart.

Frisbee

Sounds good advice Frisbee. At least keeping the hive together is increasing its chances of survival, however small it may be.

 

[Knoxen]

That's a tough one - as if the hive parts are all joined together then there's no give and an impact would be more likely to crush the boxes.

One of my hives got vandalised five times in five days over the school holidays this year. Non-beekeepers really don't understand how stressful and upsetting it is - something that you've worked so hard to protect and nurture being damaged so casually.

In my case they knocked the super off with a log or whatever they could find (from a safe distance!). The brood box and floor were damaged, and a few top bars of brood frames crushed.

I don't particularly care if they got stung or not, I just wanted them to leave us alone.

You have my sympathies, Widdershins!