Hives stolen, Llangollen area

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Saw a post on facebook from Les Horobin in North Wales this morning - West Coast apiaries just had fifteen hives stolen from a heather apiary in Garth in the Llangollen area. I think they're on Langs

 

[Sutty]

It must be so gutting & enraging to hive hives stolen!

Are thefts usually overnight when bees aren't flying?
I've occasionally wondered whether a device that releases a spray of amyl acetate, triggered when a hive is disturbed or lifted, might be possible.

 

[Newbeeneil]

It must be so gutting & enraging to hive hives stolen!

Are thefts usually overnight when bees aren't flying?
I've occasionally wondered whether a device that releases a spray of amyl acetate, triggered when a hive is disturbed or lifted, might be possible.

I’m being offered an apiary which is along side a road so I was thinking of screwing down the floors onto a triple hive stand. Obviously if you wanted to move them legitimately you would have to have a spare floor to lift them onto.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Are thefts usually overnight when bees aren't flying?

yes, in this instance they cut down the fence and loaded them away

 

[Pembroke]

I’m being offered an apiary which is along side a road so I was thinking of screwing down the floors onto a triple hive stand. Obviously if you wanted to move them legitimately you would have to have a spare floor to lift them onto.

Ideally also screw the stands to either a concrete pad or slabs.

 

[Paulypaul]

I’m being offered an apiary which is along side a road so I was thinking of screwing down the floors onto a triple hive stand. Obviously if you wanted to move them legitimately you would have to have a spare floor to lift them onto.

If you're unable to secure the stands to a concrete base, ground anchors may be a secondary option.
There are various variations on this one, which can be padlocked to.

Obviously, won't stop someone who's come fully prepared with an angle grinder, but if you can hide that you've padlocked to it, could be a major inconvenience for thieves.

 

[Sutty]

2 ground anchors with a chain/padlock linking them means they are hard to unscrew but you have to ensure the hives can't be removed under the chain or whatever you use to secure.

 

[Newbeeneil]

Ideally also screw the stands to either a concrete pad or slabs.

My double stands are on posts driven into the ground.

 

[jeff33]

Absolutely gutting. I turned down a couple of sites as they were visible from the road and easily accessible.
These worthless scumbags must know a thing or 2 about beekeeping and easy way of getting rid of them. Can't be random opportunistic thieves.

 

[ericbeaumont]

a major inconvenience for thieves

Not really. If I came to take 15 colonies and found them fixed, I'd come back a few nights later with the tools to do the job. After all, 15 colonies over-wintered could turn into 15 nucs at £250 to yield £3750, or 15 colonies at £350, £5250.

The bees will have been transferred to different kit the morning they got back to base, and the old hives will have been burned or dumped by now, so there's no chance to trace the bees.

Can't be random opportunistic thieves

Yes, they'll be beekeepers.

 

[Sutty]

Not really. If I came to take 15 colonies and found them fixed, I'd come back a few nights later with the tools to do the job. After all, 15 colonies over-wintered could turn into 15 nucs at £250 to yield £3750, or 15 colonies at £350, £5,250.

The bees will have been transferred to different kit the morning they got back to base, and the old hives will have been burned or dumped by now, so there's no chance to trace the bees.


Yes, they'll be beekeepers.

Except if you'd taken down the fence then found you couldn't move them you may be concerned about being watched or the bees may have been moved.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Except if you'd taken down the fence then found you couldn't move them you may be concerned about being watched or the bees may have been moved.

they didn't just turn up on the offchance and decide to steal them. They know it's heather time and they would have done their reconnaissance before lifting the hives.
Faffiing around with ground anchors and paving slabs might sound sensible at an easily accessible permanent apiary but I doubt a serious bee farmer would have the time, funds or resources to do that at a temporary upland heather stand

 

[Erichalfbee]

And posting photos of beekeeping activities on social media might be something we could review?

 

[ericbeaumont]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-66394439

 

[Ian123]

Unfortunately a very average and cheap set of bolt cutters will go through about 90% of most chains and padlocks.
Any going about this sort of thing are likely to have something if for no other reason than to deal with the farm gate!

My wife recently got 1 of these for the dog and it’s actually very impressive. Well at least she says it’s for the dog but I’m regularly sweeping my car!
https://tractive.com/en/pd/gps-tracker-dog-xlIt’s £4.50 a month subscription.
You are able to set a safe zone as well on a very detailed sat photo so you’ll only receive pings if dog/hive moves outside that area. You simply draw a line around garden/apiary on the map. This also increases battery life.
Literally as soon as the dog goes outside any safe area your phone pings giving a sat picture of exact location and it’s updated in seconds.
The actual tracker is about 60mm long about 30mm wide…25mm thick. Probably very easy to hide in floor roof or bottom rail of a box.

Probably worth looking at for any that expect to have issues or try on the pet first or of course the other half

 

[Gilberdyke John]

they didn't just turn up on the offchance and decide to steal them. They know it's heather time and they would have done their reconnaissance before lifting the hives.
Faffiing around with ground anchors and paving slabs might sound sensible at an easily accessible permanent apiary but I doubt a serious bee farmer would have the time, funds or resources to do that at a temporary upland heather stand

The various suggestions about securing hives sound all very well but scrotes don't think like honest people. They have no compunction about damage to property, fixings, chains, padlocks etc. A battery angle grinder can be had for less than 50 pounds and will make short work of steel chains, ground anchors and most affordable padlocks. Thick steel wire multi strand cables take a lot more cutting but not inordinately so.
Since the scrotes are most likely beekeepers a trail camera with invisible infra red illumination might be worthwhile as a source of identifiable images to circulate among associations after a theft.

 

[Sutty]

I still wonder if an amyl acetate "bomb" might have a place - imagine being coated in alarm pheromone when approaching a bunch of hives! Might need something to alert the bees too though. Maybe remote pir activated floodlights and vibration.
Admittedly only feasible to put in any decent security for permanent apiaries!

 

[ericbeaumont]

trail camera with invisible infra red illumination might be worthwhile as a source of identifiable images

I was at Park Beekeeping about five years ago and pinned up by the till was a photo, taken by a trail camera at night, of a beekeeper stealing hives. He was a well-known beekeeper in South London and confronted with the evidence, but I cannot recall the outcome.

 

[Sutty]

I was at Park Beekeeping about five years ago and pinned up by the till was a photo taken by a trail camera at night of a beekeeper taking hives. He was a well-known beekeeper in South London and confronted with the evidence, but I cannot recall the outcome.

I'd put him in stocks in front of the hives & administer alarm pheromone. Make the punishment match the crime.
Probably why I'll never be the home secretary!

 

[Gilberdyke John]

I'd put him in stocks in front of the hives & administer alarm pheromone. Make the punishment match the crime.
Probably why I'll never be the home secretary!

The stocks sounds good. Provide rotten bananas to throw as well?