How low can they get

[Heather]

Mid Sussex -a beekeeper on holiday has returned to find every queen taken from his hives.
His farmhand reported that he saw a man wearing a veil opening the hives but thought it was a friend checking them in his absence

 

[merylvingien]

Bloody hell, thats a bit ****, but people will steal anything these days!!!!
I remember when i was a keeper turning up to the estate entrance one morning to find the lovely cut grass all dug up down the drive.
They obviously didnt chain it down tight enough...

Theiving barstuards!

 

[kazmcc]

What's upsetting is it's obviously other beeks doing it. I can't imagine anyone from this forum doing anything like that, not even dreaming of it. How could they?

 

[hedgerow pete]

i can!

if i was a tea leaf i WOULD MOST CERTAINLY BE ON THE FORUMS to find out where and whats about, think of the way peado's work pretending to be someone else to find what they are looking for

 

[For want of a better word]

Strange how the criminal mind works,,, theiveing beek thinks is is OK because the bees will raise new queens,,, eventually.
I presume the skipper of a scallop dredge thinks the sea floor will eventually regrow
The Japanese whalers believe that the whale population will not be placed in jeopardy due to their slaughter.
The American guntoters did not believe they could wipe out the Passenger Pidgeon.

The current UK government believe that carving up national institutions will benefit all and not just the already wealthy and privaledged few

I must go and have a cold shower now and take some blood pressure pills!

 

[timaye100]

This always makes me a little nervous about giving the exact location of my hives to anyone on the web!r

 

[nosmoking]

One reason there's too much personal information on social websites as well. Someone will always know someone else if you get my drift. Keep schtum!

 

[buzz bee]

I'd never considered marking the individual frames, but after reading these threads am going to do that now. You never know it might just deter someone.

 

[Winker]

Mid Sussex -a beekeeper on holiday has returned to find every queen taken from his hives.
His farmhand reported that he saw a man wearing a veil opening the hives but thought it was a friend checking them in his absence

It was done in daylight! Pff, Some people have no fear of being caught

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Strip them, tie them up next to a wood ants nest and cover with honey, problem solved.

 

[winmag270]

Strip them, tie them up next to a wood ants nest and cover with honey, problem solved.

oooh, go on then, you smooth talking b*gger!!

 

[greatbritishhoney]

oooh, go on then, you smooth talking b*gger!!

 

[BILL.HEARD]

Love you guys!

 

[Crg]

about, think of the way peado's work pretending to be someone else to find what they are looking for

Is mentioning "peado's" an evolution of godwin's law?

With this case of someone stealing the beekeeper's queens. They were taken by someone who most likely knew he was on holiday and knew where his hives were.

Does this sound more likely to be someone who has something to do with him and beekeeping in his area - or some random person on the forums?

If it was me, I'd want to know the description of the man and what kind of veil he was wearing and see if it matched a nearby beekeeper.

 

[greatbritishhoney]

Is mentioning "peado's" an evolution of godwin's law?

.

Wouldn't be the first time Godwin's Law has occurred on this forum!!

 

[drstitson]

"a beekeeper on holiday has returned to find every queen taken from his hives."

how long was he away for? entirely possible for every hive to have swarmed and result, if timed right, would appear the same as theft of queens.

 

[oliver90owner]

if timed right, would appear the same as theft of queens

A farmer away on holiday at this time of the year - not for so long, normally, I would have thought.

If only a very few hives, the above could be true, but this seems as though it is rather more than just a very few? I know that some of mine will not be swarming in the next couple of weeks or so - not strong enough from A/S, splits, queenlessness, DLQs recent swarms, nucs just re-hived being just a few examples of the possible scenarios. I think I would be very suspicious if all my colonies apparently swarmed next week and like as not conclude the same as the farmer. On top of that, hive interference was reported in this instance. Hired hand could possibly be a suspect too, if nomadic. Seems like someone with inside knowledge re the farmer's movements and knowledge of beekeeping too!

RAB

 

[RoseCottage]

Personally I think it was Professor Plum...

 

[Beezy]

That's shocking - hope the thief received multiple stings! It underlines how people should inform their neighbours (or in this case, employees) when they're going away though - in this case the farmhand would have known to confront the guy and maybe the theft would've been thwarted.

 

[Dishmop]

It was done in daylight! Pff, Some people have no fear of being caught

He was seen and not challenged.......... therefore it was the best time to do the evil deed..

now.......somebody lurking around late in the evening..........