How many hives could I put on an 450 acre farm.

[Finman]

.
That area is almost two square kilometres. One kilometre radius to two direction, and half kilometre to two direction.

.

 

[For want of a better word]

I'm just about to renew my bbka insurance , I will find out my options on Monday when I go to our association meeting.
I was thinking if the apiary site was around the perimeter there's more chance of them being stolen .
Where there going is the highest place on the farm on the edge of woodland, there's no access to and from the area unless you go by quad/ mule.

I belong to BBKA as a County member, no BBKA insurance, no BDI.... pay for just for the monthly comic really!

Brand all your kit.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I belong to BBKA as a County member, no BBKA insurance, no BDI.... pay for just for the monthly comic really!

Brand all your kit.

I tried branding but never found a brand that was good at a reasonable price. I now spray mark mine with a stencil. Not foolproof but identifiable, something I'm sure the average rustler would rather avoid. I spray the tops of the frames, which would be difficult for the rustler to hide, with the colour of this years queen which reminds me when I need to replace them.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I tried branding but never found a brand that was good at a reasonable price. I now spray mark mine with a stencil. Not foolproof but identifiable, something I'm sure the average rustler would rather avoid. I spray the tops of the frames, which would be difficult for the rustler to hide, with the colour of this years queen which reminds me when I need to replace them.

Thanks for the idea sounds simple enough what did you make the stencil out of?

 

[Newbeeneil]

I just went online and looked for a company who produce them. I seem to remember they were on eBay. I think they were called NEcuts or something like that. £4.50 for an A5 stencil made out of 250micron plastic.

 

[Curly green fingers]

I just went online and looked for a company who produce them. I seem to remember they were on eBay. I think they were called NEcuts or something like that. £4.50 for an A5 stencil made out of 250micron plastic.

Cheers , I'll look into it do you do anything else for security? Sorry for the slow reply I'm drawing garden plans up.

 

[For want of a better word]

Cheers , I'll look into it do you do anything else for security? Sorry for the slow reply I'm drawing garden plans up.

Make sure the farmer/ land owners etc know the vehicle(s) you will be using... anything else level the 10 bore at!

Certainly put the sh*ts up one person showing an interest in my hives last season!!!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Cheers , I'll look into it do you do anything else for security? Sorry for the slow reply I'm drawing garden plans up.

I have a tracking system on a couple of my hives that I have been working on for a while. If you have it purely on tracking it runs out of power within about 12 hours but if you set it to just sense movement it lasts up to a month with a larger battery. When notified by the tracker that the hive has be disturbed you can switch to tracking mode.
It needs refining.

 

[Millet]

Marking and whatever is a waste of time.. if some twat is going to nic your hives they will.. nothing you can do about it.. even modern cctv can not get them when stealing cars and burgling houses in broad day light..

 

[Curly green fingers]

I was told by the farmer next door that there was the occasional poucher about now and again after the deer, which got me worried , I think I'd do time if someone stole my hives and I found out who it was. If someone wanted to pinch them they would have to carry them down a small hill and then across fields to the nearest road . Thanks for the insight all , garden plans done bottle of beer empty I'm of to check the sheep now hopefully it's a quiet one tonight cheers ....

 

[For want of a better word]

Marking and whatever is a waste of time.. if some twat is going to nic your hives they will.. nothing you can do about it.. even modern cctv can not get them when stealing cars and burgling houses in broad day light..

It is not the bee rustlers we should be worrying about... it is the clown who brings in infected stock and puts it right next door to one of your apiary sites... and does not even realise or gives one toss with what they are doing!

 

[TooBee...]

It is not the bee rustlers we should be worrying about... it is the clown who brings in infected stock and puts it right next door to one of your apiary sites... and does not even realise or gives one toss with what they are doing!

I think I may be about to show my high level of ignorance here, but...

"infected stock" (bees) arriving "right next door" , surely if one is maintaining a good disease / parasite management routine / system within their apiary then this should not be an issue or what have I missed

The main ones, varroa are dealt with routinely by our treatments (major problem if you're trying NOT to treat), which also usually deals with tracheal mites (a bigger problem for the A.m.m's) and nosema is managed by thymolizing the winter / early spring syrup, what other diseases are there apart from AFB (EFB I understand only rears it's ugly head in stressed colonies - I have read somewhere that healthy colonies can resist low level AFB infections).

 

[For want of a better word]

I think I may be about to show my high level of ignorance here, but...

"infected stock" (bees) arriving "right next door" , surely if one is maintaining a good disease / parasite management routine / system within their apiary then this should not be an issue or what have I missed

The main ones, varroa are dealt with routinely by our treatments (major problem if you're trying NOT to treat), which also usually deals with tracheal mites (a bigger problem for the A.m.m's) and nosema is managed by thymolizing the winter / early spring syrup, what other diseases are there apart from AFB (EFB I understand only rears it's ugly head in stressed colonies - I have read somewhere that healthy colonies can resist low level AFB infections).

Wrong at so many levels!

Notifiable diseases can and do get into well managed and otherwise disease free apiaries..... even with the highest level of biosecurity.

Not much the beekeeper can do when an infected colony gets placed just across the fence from your own!
Can you tell us how it is transferred from colony to colony in Ireland?

Or do you not understand that Thymol and other treatments used to combat Nosema and Varroa are not effective against AFB and EFB*

I have not noticed any appreciable difference in Varroa infestation in my own Amm colonies, in comparison to the Italian bees we keep. In fact it seems from reports from other beekeepers in Cornwall and Devon that the Mediterranean type bees seem to suffer higher levels of infestation.

* other than perhaps stress to the colony due to infestation and weakening of the colony may pre empt EFB... if there is an infected colony in the vicinity????

 

[MartinL]

Marking and whatever is a waste of time.. if some twat is going to nic your hives they will.. nothing you can do about it.. even modern cctv can not get them when stealing cars and burgling houses in broad day light..

Plus The Brave Gendarmes are too busy eating Doughnuts of covering up for their dodgy mates!
You'll get a crime number, then they'll tell you to take the cameras down if they don't like the direction they view!

Could always invest in "Killer Bee" signs,
strategically placed nails, maybe accidentally contaminated Formic Acid(to sting in the dark)??
It's a catch 22, better to make them difficult to pinch in the first place but you want your access to be relatively easy.

 

[TooBee...]

Cheers, did you even read what I had Posted? *?#!@?*!?*!
I'll reply in bold within your quoted Post below, for ease of reference.

Wrong at so many levels!

Notifiable diseases can and do get into well managed and otherwise disease free apiaries..... even with the highest level of biosecurity.
I said "...what other diseases are there apart from AFB..." therefore I am NOT asking about AFB (the main notifiable), you could infer that I was acknowledging AFB would very likely be transmitted to a nearby apiary.

Not much the beekeeper can do when an infected colony gets placed just across the fence from your own! I've just told you what a Beekeeper can do, didn't you read it? Remember I'm NOT referring to AFB!
Can you tell us how it is transferred from colony to colony in Ireland? The same as in Britain I imagine! But like my Post said, it will not affect your colonies in a major way if you are practicing disease management**** (I stated that I understood that was a big problem for non-treaters - so I'm guessing you don't treat, or practice Integrated Pest Management, etc?)

Or do you not understand that Thymol and other treatments used to combat Nosema and Varroa are not effective against AFB and EFB* IF you read my last sentence you will see that I am NOT connecting the "treatments" for Varroa & Nosema with AFB & EFB.

I have not noticed any appreciable difference in Varroa infestation in my own Amm colonies, in comparison to the Italian bees we keep. In fact it seems from reports from other beekeepers in Cornwall and Devon that the Mediterranean type bees seem to suffer higher levels of infestation. No idea why you're mentioning this as I made no reference to any subspecie and it's connection to Varroa???

* other than perhaps stress to the colony due to infestation and weakening of the colony may pre empt EFB which is basically what I just said, don't know why you're repeating it? ... if there is an infected colony in the vicinity???? Yates et. al states that "there is growing evidence that EFB is also endemic (in hives)", like Chalk Brood, Nosema & Varroosis, that means stress, not transfer is more likely the cause: Or do you know better - which kinda brings us back to my question of how (apart from AFB) can a nearby diseased colony seriously affect your well managed hives (outside the nectar flow - a some treatments are difficult to apply during then)?

****if I am wrong about this then please do correct me, I'm being sincere. (I take it that we're not talking about things like Tropilaelaps)

yes,

 

[Millet]

Regardless of all the crap... just do it and see what happens..

 

[For want of a better word]

Cheers, did you even read what I had Posted? *?#!@?*!?*!
I'll reply in bold within your quoted Post below, for ease of reference.



yes,

Pleased to see that you have taken on board that bee diseases can be.... and is transmitted from colony to colony!
Possibly why we have a voluntary apiary registration ( BEEBASE) and Bee Inspectorate (Apha) in England?

 

[SDM]

It is not the bee rustlers we should be worrying about... it is the clown who brings in infected stock and puts it right next door to one of your apiary sites... and does not even realise or gives one toss with what they are doing!

Given that its not happened within 70 miles of me for the lsst 30yrs. How worried do really think we should be.
Conversely there have been a few hive/bee thefts in the last 2 or 3 yrs.

 

[TooBee...]

Pleased to see ...

. . . click . . .

 

[MartinL]

Given that its not happened within 70 miles of me for the lsst 30yrs. How worried do really think we should be.
Conversely there have been a few hive/bee thefts in the last 2 or 3 yrs.

Has anything happened within 70 Miles,
You're in North wales aren't you?

I think were going to get into, Urbs Vs Ru here.
If you want;

• street lighting,

• reliable internet,

• mains gas,

You're also not far from what comes along with it;

• Scumbags with all the time in the world, (till the pubs open) happy to leech of those earning a crust,

• Thriving "black economy" shady chavs selling every thing out the back of a van in the pub carpark,

• Bored "Young-People" believing the world owes them, looking to knock over bee hives for a dare. Happy in the knowledge that there'll be too much paper work for the cops to be distracted when there's good doughnuts to be scoffed,