Hives stolen, Llangollen area

[ericbeaumont]

could that deter?

For a day or so: thief returns and removes combs & bees in daylight; loses flyers, but later sale assured.

 

[Murox]

The simple ideas seem to work for me with an out apiary, not easily accessible, locked gates and access only via one farm track.

 

[pargyle]

For a day or so: thief returns and removes combs & bees in daylight; loses flyers, but later sale assured.

I rather doubt that would happen ... it would have to be a very isolated apiary with incredible vehicle access .. new boxes going in, the time taken (and the carnage) doing a frame transfer in daylight ... in bee suits ..and strapping the new boxes up ... it's not what a professional bee thief would get involved in.

Most of the hive thefts that have been reported have been lock stock and barrel thefts ... apart from the queen thefts ? in Anglesey .... and I was never convinced that actually happened.

 

[Anduril]

I rather doubt that would happen ... it would have to be a very isolated apiary with incredible vehicle access .. new boxes going in, the time taken (and the carnage) doing a frame transfer in daylight ... in bee suits ..and strapping the new boxes up ... it's not what a professional bee thief would get involved in.

Most of the hive thefts that have been reported have been lock stock and barrel thefts ... apart from the queen thefts ? in Anglesey .... and I was never convinced that actually happened.

https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/threa...-hives-other-than-me.27699/page-2#post-389775Frames stolen

 

[ericbeaumont]

rather doubt that would happen

Last summer the honey company had six nucs taken out of full colonies. They had the cheek to use empty poly nucs we'd left on site. Apiary was hidden and behind 2m steel fencing, close to a main road. We moved the rest of the bees out...

 

[pargyle]

Last summer the honey company had six nucs taken out of full colonies. They had the cheek to use empty poly nucs we'd left on site. Apiary was hidden and behind 2m steel fencing, close to a main road. We moved the rest of the bees out...

Like I said .... easy access and if they were hidden from view then it must have been someone who knew they were there ... and hidden from view has its downside as the thieves are not going to be visible as well as the bees ! If it's someone who is determined all you can do is make it difficult. The Police laughed at me when we were burgled a couple of years ago when I told them my ladder was laid down by the patio retaining wall but not padlocked up ... I work for the Police so they thought it was hilarious ! The thieves used the ladder to break in through a back bedroom window. Give them the opportunity and the circumstances ... it will never happen again with what we have in place now.

 

[Paulypaul]

How about tilt or motion detectors in the rooves of the hives, wirelessly linked to an alarm that runs on a car battery? You also receive an automated message telling you someone's stealing your bees.
Apparently some keepers do that.

https://www.theguardian.com/science...s-california-gps-tracking-cameras-theft-hives

 

[simonwig]

Radio 4 reporting the hives have been recovered and complete with bees. Found 'hidden' 3 miles away.
Simon

 

[Wilco]

Radio 4 reporting the hives have been recovered and complete with bees. Found 'hidden' 3 miles away.
Simon

Standard theft tactic by certain communities regardless of item stolen: put them in an intermediate location for a few days so if there are any trackers the item will be located and recovered without the thief/theives being caught and their main site, which may have items from multiple other crimes, being identified.

If no-one retrieves them after a week or so then the scumbags take the items to their main location as they assume the items aren't being tracked. In this case, due to the media attention, the thief/thieves may also have just abandoned the hives.

Three miles again suggests they know about moving bees.

 

[SWEET]

Scum

 

[blackcloud]

I do wonder about the economics of their venture-risks vs return?
With a breeder and/or some decent f1 queens and a few feral swarms you could have almost duplicated that haul within a few years at no risk of prosecution.

 

[Pembroke]

Also an article in the telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/16/stolen-bees-found-raid-llangollen-wales-apiary/
The suggestion in the article is that the original location of the hives may have been posted on a local Facebook group warning dog walkers of the potential for stings.

 

[steveselvage]

Standard theft tactic by certain communities regardless of item stolen: put them in an intermediate location for a few days so if there are any trackers the item will be located and recovered without the thief/theives being caught and their main site, which may have items from multiple other crimes, being identified.

If no-one retrieves them after a week or so then the scumbags take the items to their main location as they assume the items aren't being tracked. In this case, due to the media attention, the thief/thieves may also have just abandoned the hives.

Three miles again suggests they know about moving bees.

The "do as we likeys" often stash stolen gear and wait ,or so I was told by a policeman.
I swapped a high roof transit for a car trailer and two weeks later I had to explain why a stolen mini digger was in my van 30 miles away.
Whilst explaining they found that the bloody trailer was stolen as well!
Lost the van and the trailer

 

[Sutty]

Deleted

 

[Blunt Spike]

I know of a prolific shed burglar who used to walk 10+ miles sticking to canal towpaths and other unobserved paths to get to where he wanted to commit crimes. No one could catch him until undercover cops pretended to be buyers. He asked them for a lift one day, and spilled the beans on how he worked- all recorded on hidden cameras in the car. Apparently, he'd burgle a shed or garage and screw hooks into the boundary fence - on the side away from the property. He hung bags on the hooks which contained the stolen property so he didn't have it on him if he got stopped. He then went back a day later and retrieved it.

 

[Damo944]

Not many happy endings when it comes to hive thefts!