Security.

[blackcloud]

I'm thinking it's pretty much futile but what can you do regarding hive thefts?

A secluded site helps but at some point someone will see the hives and innocently mention it to someone else,and so on ,and so on until it will be heard by the wrong person.
That person could be someone who knows exactly what they are after or could just be an idiot scumbag who got the idea from Brassic.

Cameras? - baseball hat and hoody sorts that out- not that the local constabulary will do anything beyond an incident number and a victim leaflet.
They have bigger jobs to do with limited resource.
Alarms- if you can be there to challenge them they probably won't be the kind to profusely apologize....

The bees will be untraceable so forget them.

The kit?
Expensive for some of us but low level as far as law enforcement are concerned- not worth the bother.
Smart water/electronic fairy dust?
Who is going to scan the equipment which is on the other side of the country within a few hours -ain't going to be the Old Bill.
GPS tag? Easily destroyed but see above if it isnt.
Some form of marking or branding?-fairly simple to overwrite and refinish?

Guard dogs? Perhaps an option for limited locations.
Chains ,locks etc - they're a placebo for the purchaser nothing more.
Anything else ? ( on that cheery note)

 

[Newbeeneil]

Personally I think it's a risk we run as beekeepers with out apiaries. I had a small nuc nicked from my isolation apiary over the weekend and the land lord has cctv around his buildings but not at the bottom of his field.
The loss too me is minimal as it was an old homemade wooden nuc and the bees were from a cut out and probably of dubious character.
What makes me sad is the fact that the thief was probably a beekeeper!

 

[Wilco]

If worried then get one of the small devices from these guys and conceal somewhere within the hive, one or two hives per apiary. Can be set to give alerts on movement, sound, etc.. If anything is stolen then you can track it to the initial stash location (many things are hidden nearby initially from what I've heard in case of GPS so their main site isn't detected) then take back or lie in wait and go Rambo when they return (tongue-in-cheek even though that's what's needed).

https://micronic.co.uk/search?q=Gps

 

[Bluebell1985]

I like the idea a tracker but I was under the impression that you also need an active SIM card for each one and also there's the issue to a power source. I'm assuming they'll need regular charging so unless you have multiples to keep swapping over it may end up being very costly.

 

[Newbeeneil]

If worried then get one of the small devices from these guys and conceal somewhere within the hive, one or two hives per apiary. Can be set to give alerts on movement, sound, etc.. If anything is stolen then you can track it to the initial stash location (many things are hidden nearby initially from what I've heard in case of GPS so their main site isn't detected) then take back or lie in wait and go Rambo when they return (tongue-in-cheek even though that's what's needed).

https://micronic.co.uk/search?q=Gps

I investigated this at length and had a great little system set up that was cheap and effective. The only problem was the battery ran out within about 5 days. I tried a small PV cell which worked ok during the summer with a back up battery but by this time in my experiment the whole thing was too bulky to be concealed so I gave up!

Will, the devices you indicate are similar to the ones I was using. Battery life was the restricting factor for long term use.

 

[JamezF]

Will, the devices you indicate are similar to the ones I was using. Battery life was the restricting factor for long term use.

Need to train the bees to run around a little treadmill inside to keep the battery charged

James

 

[Wilco]

I investigated this at length and had a great little system set up that was cheap and effective. The only problem was the battery ran out within about 5 days. I tried a small PV cell which worked ok during the summer with a back up battery but by this time in my experiment the whole thing was too bulky to be concealed so I gave up!

Will, the devices you indicate are similar to the ones I was using. Battery life was the restricting factor for long term use.

I got one from them a year or two ago with a three month battery life.

Different but similar:

https://micronic.co.uk/products/mag...ng-audio-monitor?_pos=29&_sid=613a59efa&_ss=r

 

[Gilberdyke John]

How about the Tony Martin solution? It helps if you have access to a jcb

 

[Anduril]

Are the Air Tags any good? Supposedly can be tracked accurately to 1 inch. You can use other people's Apple devices to track it.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I got one from them a year or two ago with a three month battery life.

Different but similar:

https://micronic.co.uk/products/mag...ng-audio-monitor?_pos=29&_sid=613a59efa&_ss=r

Mine was similar but cost about £20, maybe the difference is a decent battery? I also found it used more battery in more remote locations

 

[pargyle]

I think the best you can hope to do (with anything legal of course) is to drive a scaffolding pole deep in the ground under the hive stand with a ring welded to it and put a hefty U bolt on the roof and padlock a hefty chain through them both. It's not going to stop someone with bolt cutter and determination but it might just discourage the thief who wants a quick job.

Yes, it's a PITA but if you weigh up the cost of replacing a good colony of bees and what they can produce in a season it makes sense ...

 

[Anduril]

This is a road well travelled on the forum. Answered by ITLD, where every item was burned. Hedgerow Pete and screwing the floor to a concrete base, these were also badger proof. They could run off with the hive and have a car full of bees. Security ground anchors, padlock and heavy chain was another suggestion.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

A battery powered angle grinder will make short work of any chain or padlock.

Given the bees maintain a good temperature in the middle of the nest maybe some sort of thermoelectric? device could provide power for the tracking device. A student design project?

. . . . . Ben

 

[Murox]

Its always a problem, any determined thief will take what they want. Opportunists can often be deterred by well placed flashing lights and spoken warnings systems. I still have not found anything better than an electric fence and/or obviously placed (dummy) cameras which when attacked will alert you.

 

[Anduril]

A battery powered angle grinder will make short work of any chain or padlock.

Given the bees maintain a good temperature in the middle of the nest maybe some sort of thermoelectric? device could provide power for the tracking device. A student design project?

. . . . . Ben

One of these
https://www.popularmechanics.com/sc...an two years,and your progeny for generations.

 

[Parsonage Bees]

One of these
https://www.popularmechanics.com/sc...an two years,and your progeny for generations.

I see a dystopian future where scavengers search out beehives amongst the wreckage of humanity for power sources to keep the lights on.

 

[Antipodes]

Brand frames, boxes, lids and floors as a start.

I'm thinking it's pretty much futile but what can you do regarding hive thefts?

A secluded site helps but at some point someone will see the hives and innocently mention it to someone else,and so on ,and so on until it will be heard by the wrong person.
That person could be someone who knows exactly what they are after or could just be an idiot scumbag who got the idea from Brassic.

Cameras? - baseball hat and hoody sorts that out- not that the local constabulary will do anything beyond an incident number and a victim leaflet.
They have bigger jobs to do with limited resource.
Alarms- if you can be there to challenge them they probably won't be the kind to profusely apologize....

The bees will be untraceable so forget them.

The kit?
Expensive for some of us but low level as far as law enforcement are concerned- not worth the bother.
Smart water/electronic fairy dust?
Who is going to scan the equipment which is on the other side of the country within a few hours -ain't going to be the Old Bill.
GPS tag? Easily destroyed but see above if it isnt.
Some form of marking or branding?-fairly simple to overwrite and refinish?

Guard dogs? Perhaps an option for limited locations.
Chains ,locks etc - they're a placebo for the purchaser nothing more.
Anything else ? ( on that cheery note)

Some ideas below from the sheriff with 500 hives.

https://www.popsci.com/story/science/bee-hive-theft-inside-look/

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Brand frames, boxes, lids and floors as a start

Pretty pointless, the usual MO in the past has been to shook swarm onto new frames, new box and burn all the old stuff

 

[Antipodes]

Pretty pointless, the usual MO in the past has been to shook swarm onto new frames, new box and burn all the old stuff

A thief was caught after another beekeeper noticed the brands on the hives. The hives were recovered and the offender successfully prosecuted.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A thief was caught after another beekeeper noticed the brands on the hives. The hives were recovered and the offender successfully prosecuted.

big difference between what happens in The Antipodes and what goes on in the UK