Hives stolen, Llangollen area

[Newbeeneil]

I think I’m going to put in double or triple stands made from 4x2 fence rail secured either to concrete blocks with a concrete bolt or to driven 4” posts.
Then screw the floors to it, place the brood box on top and fix to the floor with security screws.
Even if the thief has the equipment to remove the security screws he will still have to lift the brood box off the floor to get to those screws.
Either that or take the individual frames which would be laborious and likely to need lighting to do which could alert the public on adjacent road.

https://boltworld.co.uk/product/no-...l405iKimEmPHFbaH4z-Wjbf0Z69ZR0e0aAlB5EALw_wcB

 

[jeff33]

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.

Tied up almost naked in the middle of the square with 4 vile hives tipped in front of him?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think I’m going to put in double or triple stands made from 4x2 fence rail secured either to concrete blocks with a concrete bolt or to driven 4” posts.
Then screw the floors to it, place the brood box on top and fix to the floor with security screws.

five minutes with a hand saw and the hives, floors (with 18" pieces of 4x2 still attached) and anything else of value will be in the back of a van and away. screwing the brood boxes to the floors just makes them easier to move.

 

[Newbeeneil]

five minutes with a hand saw and the hives, floors (with 18" pieces of 4x2 still attached) and anything else of value will be in the back of a van and away. screwing the brood boxes to the floors just makes them easier to move.

They still have to remove the dense concrete blocks from the 4x2’s bolted under the hives, or will they carry them away as well and stack them in their van still on them?
Let’s be honest it would be a real pisser if you were thinking it would be a quick in- out job.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

so you are actually going to secure the floors to concrete?! not the stands?

 

[Curly green finger's]

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.

I agree, is it competition that’s stollen them or an inside job?

My thoughts most colony’s set up for heather are going to have young queens and would be a damn good colony for next spring. The premium of colony’s to be sold .

 

[Sutty]

Dig a trench eg 3 hives worth long & fill with concrete. Use a former to mould 3 "floors" into it, once set put brood boxes on the floors as normal.
If that's not enough then kingspan as solid floor, poly brood box on top, and surround the whole with concrete using a removable block to keep the entrance until set.
Obviously impractical for other than a permanent site!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I can see there being a sharp spike in RMC share prices with some of the ideas here. although how on earth they are going to shift it all up on to the moors I haven't a clue. There hasn't been such a demand for concrete since 1938

 

[Ian123]

Few of the thefts I’ve seen are big full colonies at peak season and multiple boxes.
I’m sure these colonies would have been condensed with an empty box or 2 on. The majority of thefts I’ve seen are spring time and simply walk up probably rachet strapped with foam bunged in the entrance. You could probably waddle off with one in each hand.
Any thing that delays them or puts them off is a good idea even if it’s obvious they may look for easier pickings.
I would look at those trackers though battery life does appear good our dogs has lasted 2 weeks already without re charging.

I’m half tempted to set up a STING operation

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I’m sure these colonies would have been condensed with an empty box or 2 on.

they were - just single Lang broods with (I think) a super on, just moved up on to the heather.

 

[SWEET]

Good case for keeping a couple of *happy* stocks at each site but control the drones, good luck removing those frames into nucs and selling on!

 

[ericbeaumont]

take the individual frames which would be laborious and likely to need lighting

Beekeepers working in daylight would attract less attention than at night, and though the transfer of frames & bees would lose the flyers, the colonies would build again for a spring sale.

All they'd need is a recce, a van, 15 polyboxes and attached floors, and a lookout. Ian's tracker, buried in a box and pinging movement, is the only chance to catch them. Trouble is, signal on a distant heather hill may be iffy or absent.

 

[Ely]

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.


Yes, they'll be beekeepers.

Possibly even members on here. What a horrible thought.

 

[sipa]

If by chance you were to catch the scrotes in the act of stealing bees.....
Always keep a baseball bat in the vehicle, just remeber to always have a used baseball with you as well. Then you arn't carrying the bat with the intent to do harm. It's just something you picked up to defend yourself with.

 

[Sutty]

If by chance you were to catch the scrotes in the act of stealing bees.....
Always keep a baseball bat in the vehicle, just remeber to always have a used baseball with you as well. Then you arn't carrying the bat with the intent to do harm. It's just something you picked up to defend yourself with.

I have a friend who had an attempt to take his car whilst he had the tailgat open - as it happened his son's aluminium lacrosse stick was in the back.... They backed off pretty quickly.

 

[sipa]

Reported in the Telegraph

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/04/bee-thief-hunted-stealing-hives-llangollen-north-wales/

 

[Newbeeneil]

Beekeepers working in daylight would attract less attention than at night, and though the transfer of frames & bees would lose the flyers, the colonies would build again for a spring sale.

All they'd need is a recce, a van, 15 polyboxes and attached floors, and a lookout. Ian's tracker, buried in a box and pinging movement, is the only chance to catch them. Trouble is, signal on a distant heather hill may be iffy or absent.

As I’ve posted here before I have a couple of hives with trackers in them which warn if they are moved but the batteries dont last long enough really and small solar panels are too vulnerable.
I also have signs on the roof of my hive’s warning to switch the tracker off before inspecting. Obviously thieves wouldn’t know which hives have trackers.

 

[Nannysbees]

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

Yes I agree, I often worry about the vlogs of beekeepers/ farmers showing the sites and their children!!!! Some have shops onsite for the public to go and buy. I'd be worried letting the children go into the garden unsupervised, these vlogs are accessed worldwide

 

[Sutty]

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

I'd certainly advise any pictures of your hives being posted on social media have their location data removed 1st.

 

[Pembroke]

Beekeepers working in daylight would attract less attention than at night, and though the transfer of frames & bees would lose the flyers, the colonies would build again for a spring sale.

All they'd need is a recce, a van, 15 poly boxes and attached floors, and a lookout. Ian's tracker, buried in a box and pinging movement, is the only chance to catch them. Trouble is, signal on a distant heather hill may be iffy or absent.

The problem with Ian's tracker buried in the box, as others have already said is the first thing a savvy thief will do is remove the frames to a new box and burn the old ones, the tracker would go on the fire unless it's small enough to embed in a frame?

Maybe with these new plastic frames coming out it could be possible to 3D print a frame with sufficient spaces in the edges to mount a dismantled tracker device?

Perhaps an Apple air tag, they seem to work over a good range due to the community nature of the tracking and the batteries should last a while. They're also small (thin) enough to mount in a frame, maybe as part of the plastic foundation, once the bees cover them with wax (assuming they will, electromagnetic waves after all) the tag would be invisible, only problem would be if the thieves in question had a iPhone, which would alert them to the close proximity of a tag. According to the web an air tag is 31.9mm in diameter and 8 mm thick. So should be easy to mount in the corner of a frame as part of the foundation. Apple say the battery will last for about a year.