Stolen hives

[Ian123]

Not far from me, hives had been there a couple of years and could be seen from road!!!!https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ge...er-absolutely-gutted-after-hives-16045847.amp.

 

[Hachi]

Perhaps the lesson here is not to locate your hives where passers-by and crims can see them

 

[citrus]

Not far from me, hives had been there a couple of years and could be seen from road!!!!https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ge...er-absolutely-gutted-after-hives-16045847.amp.

Not good ... but wooden hives make money on ebay so its easy pickings for some nefarious chancer with a van ... have told my mate that has a few hives in road side places (not within site .. but you never know)

 

[Apiarisnt]

GPS hive trackers

Does anybody have any recommendations, based on experience, of GPS based hived trackers?

 

[sean-a]

Bees hive and honey add up to a lot of money.
Enough to tempt the less honest.
Few of the public would think anything of someone in a bee suite loading hives onto a trailer.
One option is to screw down the floor, make things a little more difficult.

 

[Ian123]

The location of these hives was not great and only partially screened and literally thousands of people drive past every day. At least now there’s a few more on the lookout for the bloke that lost them.

 

[Dodge]

Went for a bike ride last week. Discovered 6 Apiares 2 with about 15 hives each. All easily identified from a bicycle. Think this year the hives have more supers on so more easy to spot before the Hawthorn hedges have come into full leaf.

 

[Antipodes]

Is anyone branding hives and frames? Is there a good GPS tracker that can be secreted in a hive that anyone is using with success?

 

[Bassett]

Had 2 hives nicked 5 years ago.
Purchased branding iron for £50 with my BBKA membership number, shorter than my name.
Branded top bars, inside and outside boxes, floors, roofs, crown boards and q/excluders.
Since then the effort branding has been overtaken by the fact:
1) No one would notice or act on seeing branding whether its a name or reference number.
2) The thieves would transfer bees to another unmarked hive and burn the nicked stuff.

Trackers, seems an expensive move when you have several apiaries and which hives would you fit them to?
How often do you have to replace flat batteries.
Unless you act quickly and in the area, you may recover your hive.

 

[mazzamazda]

Is there a good GPS tracker that can be secreted in a hive that anyone is using with success?

There are many options for trackers, I have a classic car that I recently put a good tracker on but they are not cheap. They need a battery, ideally a charger, access to internet and mobile phone network. They also need concealed, as mentioned above thieves probably swap boxes and burn the evidence so you would constantly need to check up on the device which also costs. What is popular here is CCTV. I had a customer who came yesterday who lost 63 hives this spring to theft.

 

[Antipodes]

Hi Mazzamazda, do you know of a good CCTV camera for a remote location?
(the area may not be within mobile phone coverage).

 

[Murox]

Hi Mazzamazda, do you know of a good CCTV camera for a remote location?
(the area may not be within mobile phone coverage).

If you are not within "mobile phone coverage" then you may as well utilise multiple well placed wildlife cameras, maybe then you will have some images to give the local police. There batteries can last for months. Try some other deterrents like simple "Smile you're on camera" type notices or brambles and deception or audible alerts.

 

[Beefriendly]

I'd be looking at some sort of battery operated motion sensor alarm. That way anyone lifting a hive gets 120 db going off in their ear.
Something similar to this.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-D...m&qid=1556186571&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

 

[mazzamazda]

Hi Mazzamazda, do you know of a good CCTV camera for a remote location?
(the area may not be within mobile phone coverage).

Hi, sorry I don't in the UK. There is a company here called Prosegur in Portugal which have found a niche in the market for beekeepers, they supply a camera which remotely calls you and the Police for €500 and a monthly payment. Theft is a huge problem in Portugal as are fires, asian hornets, varroa, foulbrood etc etc etc...............

 

[Newbeeneil]

I have a tracker in some of my more vunerable hives which texts me if it's motion sensor is triggered, I can then set it to track remotely from my phone. I could have it on permanent tracking but that uses the battery at an amazing rate. With an additional rechargeable battery it lasts approx 3 month on the motion only.
I have a printed label on all my roofs which reminded me to deactivate the tracker prior to inspection. Hopefully this notice would make potential crims think twice....... but I wouldn't bet on it though.

Let's be honest...... if someone wants to nick something they will! Unfortunately a reflection of our society nowadays.

 

[Murox]

I'd be looking at some sort of battery operated motion sensor alarm. That way anyone lifting a hive gets 120 db going off in their ear.
Something similar to this.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-D...m&qid=1556186571&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Good find BF. I think it needs to be around 140db to really grab the attention (approaching pain threshold).

 

[Apiarisnt]

GPS hive trackers

I have a tracker in some of my more vunerable hives which texts me if it's motion sensor is triggered, I can then set it to track remotely from my phone. ...

Let's be honest...... if someone wants to nick something they will! Unfortunately a reflection of our society nowadays.

Interesting. What model do you use?

 

[madasafish]

I'd be looking at some sort of battery operated motion sensor alarm. That way anyone lifting a hive gets 120 db going off in their ear.
Something similar to this.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-D...m&qid=1556186571&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Our local badgers come into our garden at night and circle teh hives - eating dead bees?

I suspect they may set off that type of alarm

 

[Beefriendly]

Our local badgers come into our garden at night and circle teh hives - eating dead bees?

I suspect they may set off that type of alarm

That would sort your badger problem out.
Ours just dig holes in the lawn...no interest in the hives.

 

[Stiffy]

If you are not within "mobile phone coverage" then you may as well utilise multiple well placed wildlife cameras, maybe then you will have some images to give the local police. There batteries can last for months. Try some other deterrents like simple "Smile you're on camera" type notices or brambles and deception or audible alerts.

I have used wildlife cameras to protect persistent thieves, until they were stolen!
Dummy cameras with a flashing led are apparently a good deterrent.
S