Nationwide abandoned hives.

[Curly green finger's]

I was in a big garden nursery centre in the countryside lately and the owner brought me down to a big orchard where an old man kept his bees 20 hives ,the man passed away a year ago and the hives have just been abandoned

What will become of the hives

 

[JohnRB]

What do you mean by “fallen off the radar” ?

As in, used to be part of the beekeeping community but now nobody knows they are there until they call for help. (I'm ex RAF and assumed it was a common term)

 

[deemann1]

What will become of the hives

I have a friend enquiring for me he knows the owner of the site well

 

[steve1958]

It's very possible that some of these abandoned hives we hear about are stolen.

 

[Pembroke]

The other way to look at abandoned hives is that they have survived for a period of time to the point where only the woodwork is still the same from when they were set up so are the equivalent of bees in a hollow tree, that is wild or feral bees.

If they can survive all the bee diseases that are around now they are quite valuable as they have on their own developed defences against the diseases so 'if' you remove them you should look at breeding from the survivors.

JohnRB, as there is no requirement as yet to register with Beebase, there will be quite a few 'under the radar' sites. Just beekeepers who for whatever reason don't sign up.

 

[user 819]

Even abandoned hives will have a legal owner somewhere, even if the owner is deceased ownership will be the descendants of said previous owner even if they are unaware.

 

[Rowena]

I was asked by a chap to go and look at some hives he had ‘rescued’ from a farm and was struggling with them. He was a small holder and had just 1 hive himself but had no mentor or any real experience of keeping bees. I got there to find 6 of the most aggressive hives I have ever come across, woodwork falling apart, full of honey. I went back with another more experienced beekeeper and tidied up as best we could but they were totally unmanageable. The next I heard he had decided that they were not worth the bother,and had,burnt them! I was upset on 2 fronts, one that they had,been abandoned and 2 that they were just given up on despite the fact that I provided contact details of 2 local associations.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I was asked by a chap to go and look at some hives he had ‘rescued’ from a farm and was struggling with them. He was a small holder and had just 1 hive himself but had no mentor or any real experience of keeping bees. I got there to find 6 of the most aggressive hives I have ever come across, woodwork falling apart, full of honey. I went back with another more experienced beekeeper and tidied up as best we could but they were totally unmanageable. The next I heard he had decided that they were not worth the bother,and had,burnt them! I was upset on 2 fronts, one that they had,been abandoned and 2 that they were just given up on despite the fact that I provided contact details of 2 local associations.

That’s so sad and unnecessary
Some people are like that though. They need things doing yesterday. He obviously couldn’t be bothered.

I have a neighbour part time farmer who is a building contractor. He’s found bees in a ceiling and asked if I wanted them before he demolished it. Trying to arrange a day he said I could pop round for them any evening. I explained I would have to look but that it would likely take all day.
He got them gassed by a pestie

 

[Nige.Coll]

If I died tomorrow my wife wouldn't know where all my colonies are located.

 

[Curly green finger's]

If I died tomorrow my wife wouldn't know where all my colonies are located.

Well that's bad news isn't it, my wife knows the name of every single bee we have they are called "girlys" or "my girlys"

 

[Erichalfbee]

Well that's bad news isn't it, my wife knows the name of every single bee we have they are called "girlys" or "my girlys"

That’s so sad and unnecessary
Some people are like that though. They need things doing yesterday. He obviously couldn’t be bothered.

You haven’t got to the stage of hiding stuff, then?
I don’t hide bees but I DO hide kit

 

[JohnRB]

The other way to look at abandoned hives is that they have survived for a period of time to the point where only the woodwork is still the same from when they were set up so are the equivalent of bees in a hollow tree, that is wild or feral bees.

If they can survive all the bee diseases that are around now they are quite valuable as they have on their own developed defences against the diseases so 'if' you remove them you should look at breeding from the survivors.

JohnRB, as there is no requirement as yet to register with Beebase, there will be quite a few 'under the radar' sites. Just beekeepers who for whatever reason don't sign up.

Yes, understand that and support their wish to just 'do their own thing'. But, just looking at the prevalence of EFB on BeeBase makes you realise it is all over the place. I would be very cross to have to destroy my hives, start again and then find I'm reinfected by someone elses bees who is either unaware, doesn't care or simply can't cope. Without opening a can of worms, Beebase tells me there are 133 apiaries within 10km and at that density disease could spread really quickly. I really do think the bee inspectors need to know where all the hives are. That said, I know of 2 feral colonies - one in a tree and one in a building. How and by who would these be registered?

 

[JohnRB]

You haven’t got to the stage of hiding stuff, then?
I don’t hide bees but I DO hide kit

My wife knows where my hives are, but has no idea how much kit I have 'tucked away'

 

[Curly green finger's]

Well that's bad news isn't it, my wife knows the name of every single bee we have they are called "girlys" or "my girlys"

On a more serious note!
At last my wife is going to be helping me with inspections, it's taken 5 years.
Im sitting down and having a coffee with cider brandy and chilling.

 

[Curly green finger's]

You haven’t got to the stage of hiding stuff, then?
I don’t hide bees but I DO hide kit

All sorts dani, all sorts...
I just order equipment /queen's and let her pay for it... And let here know or forget to mention it. she gets me to buy here a new car no arguments mind and whatever she wants.
16 years now.. I'm broke!

 

[Erichalfbee]

All sorts dani, all sorts...
I just order equipment /queen's and let her pay for it... And let here know or forget to mention it. she gets me to buy here a new car no arguments mind and whatever she wants.
16 years now.. I'm broke!

Ah but you are rich in things money can’t buy.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Ah but you are rich in things money can’t buy.

Indeed I am, and I cherish it even if it does give me a headache.. Or is that the bug speaking.

 

[Anduril]

If you have registered an apiary on beebase, or go back before beebase, the bee inspectors would have records of where the apiaries were. But for present day, if you abandon a site it remains on beebase for historical purposes. I have abandoned one apiary site and removed the hives, but the site remains there for posterity on beebase.

 

[Moobee]

The other way to look at abandoned hives is that they have survived for a period of time to the point where only the woodwork is still the same from when they were set up so are the equivalent of bees in a hollow tree, that is wild or feral bees.

If they can survive all the bee diseases that are around now they are quite valuable as they have on their own developed defences against the diseases so 'if' you remove them you should look at breeding from the survivors.

JohnRB, as there is no requirement as yet to register with Beebase, there will be quite a few 'under the radar' sites. Just beekeepers who for whatever reason don't sign up.

It's amazing that there is no requirement to register hives given DEFRA counts them as livestock and I believe are considered more important than chicken to our economy!

 

[Moobee]

You haven’t got to the stage of hiding stuff, then?
I don’t hide bees but I DO hide kit

Oh not just me then!!