First experience of hive theft issues!

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WELL!- what can I say, I have had a few days to investigate the attempted " theft" at my out Apiary. Today I eventually managed to speak to the landowner to see if he had noticed anything untoward. Turns out, he had changed mobile etc and we were not able to contact each other till I spoke with him today at his house. The "potential theft" query has been solved .
There was a massive flood in the field three weeks ago, resulting in the empty hive floating away , luckily the landowner noticed and rescued the floating hive and placed it on the path for safe keeping. I'm pretty sure that this is the first time a beekeeper has been thanfull the field flooded rather than the hives being stolen as the answer to the hive being moved. This is the first time in known memory that this field has flooded and approx about 15 feet or more above the normal river level! I have placed remaining hives up on blocks so water will need to be around 3 feet to touch bottom of hives, will monitor and if a repeat then move hopefully a 1 in 100 year event. Attached pics 1- where my hive was found 2. the hives in background showing how far I thought someone had moved my hive. 3- a pic I got today of field when flooded!
Oh my - you got lucky there and what a star of a Landlord .... Some extraordinary pictures of the mid November flooding in FIfe ..48 hours of torrential rain.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/new...9/rain-flooding-picture-gallery-tayside-fife/
 
Oh my - you got lucky there and what a star of a Landlord .... Some extraordinary pictures of the mid November flooding in FIfe ..48 hours of torrential rain.

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/new...9/rain-flooding-picture-gallery-tayside-fife/
Yeah, your right, never seen so much rain dumped in such a short time, my own garden was also flooded and in hindsight maybe I should have checked the field however there was only a small burn running around 200 feet away and it was about 20 feet below the field so was not even on my mind, really lucky it never went any higher and both colonies appear to have survived, although I can only imagine what was going through their collective minds WTF! lol
 
Yeah, your right, never seen so much rain dumped in such a short time, my own garden was also flooded and in hindsight maybe I should have checked the field however there was only a small burn running around 200 feet away and it was about 20 feet below the field so was not even on my mind, really lucky it never went any higher and both colonies appear to have survived, although I can only imagine what was going through their collective minds WTF! lol
I worked in Perth for a couple of years and the Tay regularly used to flood on the lower side of the town into South Inch Park ... but nothing like you see up there these days. Parts of Perth that have never seen flooding were under water in November ... despite millions being spent on flood defences. There's something amiss there ...
 
I worked in Perth for a couple of years and the Tay regularly used to flood on the lower side of the town into South Inch Park ... but nothing like you see up there these days. Parts of Perth that have never seen flooding were under water in November ... despite millions being spent on flood defences. There's something amiss there ...
Definitely seeing more regular flooding events, likely an amalgamation of causes. Although I'm no expert but do feel the use of concrete and modern flood barriers miss the point and are trying to contain the cow after the gate left open. I would love to see us going back and managing the rivers up to source, allowing the correct plant growth and natural dams to slow down , hold and contain the flood waters givin time for the water to disperse rather than cascade down stream at a rate of knots during every heavy rain storm.
 
for over a century the obsession has been to contain the river within its banks and hurry the water on its way - we forget that in the past it was natural for the river to overflow its banks, settle in natural floodplains and then drain away slowly, by building flood 'defences and bunding the river, it just means the water back up further upstream and spreads out at an inconvenient point. I can point to numerous farms or fields that have the prefix 'ynys' in this area - one just yards away but luckily fifty feet lower - Ynys literally means island, in farming terms it indicated land that would be flooded or surrounded by water during heavy rains - it's no new thing, these names go back centuries, just now people get excited when it happens. in the old days they just didn't build on it and accepted it would flood now and then.
 
Kind of similar to (what is now pretty much) part of Reading. We used to (twenty years or more ago) live between Reading and Wokingham not far from Shinfield. There was a fair bit of "development" in the area and some horror when it turned out to flood quite regularly. But of course the clue was in the name: "Shinfield" is a contraction of "Shiny field", and you can guess why it might have been shiny, can't you?

James
 
both colonies appear to have survived
Good result, Camey.

Even when not in flood the land may be wet. To get hives above the damp put down a plastic pallet (won't rot) and a wood one on top (blue or red Euro pallets are good). With all your hives on one pallet there's reduced chance of floating. I use 400mm concrete slabs on the roof, rather than straps.

Although the site may be secure, the hives are in the open & the blue may be a beacon to a determined thief.
 
for over a century the obsession has been to contain the river within its banks and hurry the water on its way - we forget that in the past it was natural for the river to overflow its banks, settle in natural floodplains and then drain away slowly, by building flood 'defences and bunding the river, it just means the water back up further upstream and spreads out at an inconvenient point. I can po8int to numerous farms or fields that have the prefix 'ynys' in this area - one just yards away but luckily fifty feet lower - Ynys literally means island, in farming terms it indicated land that would be flooded or surrounded by water during heavy rains - it's no new thing, these names go back centuries, just now people get excited when it happens. in the old days they just didn't build on it and accepted it would flood now and then.
The river Aire from Knottingly to the Yorkshire Ouse is like a series of dog's hind legs. Left to its own devices I think many of the loops would have eroded through to straighten it's course naturally and leave a number of Ox Bow lakes. (My school geography lessons of 60 years ago covered these in detail) Now we see the EA battling to keep it from flooding the surrounding area by "improving" the banks while the convoluted route remains. A long stretch of the A19 SW of Selby was closed for over a year following being washed out a couple of years ago. Urban development upstream has led to faster run off so increased flow in the downstream sections of many watercourse.
 
Good result, Camey.

Even when not in flood the land may be wet. To get hives above the damp put down a plastic pallet (won't rot) and a wood one on top (blue or red Euro pallets are good). With all your hives on one pallet there's reduced chance of floating. I use 400mm concrete slabs on the roof, rather than straps.

Although the site may be secure, the hives are in the open & the blue may be a beacon to a determined thief.
The only problem with the blue pallets is some of them belong to a company that is very protective of them to the point of insisting that you return them or pay some exorbitant fee for your continued possession of them. There is a white 'C' stencilled on the risers to help you identify them and commonly referred to as 'Cheps'.

https://www.chep.com/uk/en/why-chep/how-chep-works/what-can-i-do-blue-pallets
 
The only problem with the blue pallets is some of them belong to a company that is very protective of them to the point of insisting that you return them or pay some exorbitant fee for your continued possession of them. There is a white 'C' stencilled on the risers to help you identify them and commonly referred to as 'Cheps'.

In lieu of a proper, built, stand, I have my Warre hive on a blue Chep pallet in the back garden.

For me, as somebody who worked for Chep, when it was part of GKN, it's a little nostalgic. Super, super pallets - and won't let you down. I could leave it sitting on the ground for years and it wouldn't rot ... but that is because they've been designed and built as multi-use items in a closed loop system. These are rented by Chep, who retain ownership. Easily the most cash generative business I have ever had the pleasure of working for. "Money for old rope" as the then Chairman, Sir David Lees, used to say.

I don't therefore lose too much sleep about not (technically) being the owner. If they want to come and collect it, it might at least motivate me to get my proper stand built. Interesting business model to reflect on.... Anyhow, if Carlsberg made pallets...
 
a company that is very protective of them
Yes, I've heard that but never been challenged. In fact, it's obvous that the blues & reds I find on the street have been put out for passers-by. Two shops local to me - small supermarkets - provide regular pickings. I ask and they're always glad to get rid of them, but though blue they have no ID codes, so maybe some are owned and some not.
 

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