Theft of hives

[Itchy]

West Sussex ......containing bees from P A Y N E S bee farm

 

[Norfolk]

Seems a lot of it around at the moment.
Seems an odd hobby for a career thief to have so my guess is that they are stealing them to order.
That begs the question....Who is buying them ?

 

[Worldsend]

Where abouts in West Sussex ?

Last time we had some stolen they were west of Chichester then moved into the Havant /Waterlooville area

 

[Itchy]

At he beehive supplier's address ...Hassocks, West Sussex

 

[Michael Palmer]

Seems a lot of it around at the moment.
Seems an odd hobby for a career thief to have so my guess is that they are stealing them to order.
That begs the question....Who is buying them ?

Does anyone brand their hives and frames?

 

[pargyle]

Does anyone brand their hives and frames?

Oh yes ... hive theft is getting to be a bit of a regular nuisance in the UK ... several earlier threads on here ...

 

[BeeJayBee]

That's bad news.

Branding isn't really an option for poly hives.

 

[madasafish]

That's bad news.

Branding isn't really an option for poly hives.

All you need is to write your initials inside using epoxy resin...

 

[Michael Palmer]

That's bad news.

Branding isn't really an option for poly hives.

It is on the top bars. Many beehive thefts recently in California. Thieves steal the hives, move the bees and frames into their own equipment, and rent the hives to the almond grower. Brands on the boxes are useless in this scenario, but brands on the top bars are still there. With your extensive inspection program of full time and seasonal inspectors, I bet the thieves would be caught.

 

[mbc]

That's bad news.

Branding isn't really an option for poly hives.

Easier than wood, just use lower temp.

 

[Bassett]

Following thieving of two of my hives 4 years ago, I use a branding iron on all my frames, boxes, roofs, floors, excluders, everything with my BBKA membership number but, who will know its mine if spotted 50 miles away. Bee inspectors can check Beebase numbers but not BBKA numbers!! Beekeepers can challenge if BBKA number is not local, if you get to look?
I've branded as deterrent, it won't get my bees back, as we know the thief will empty the bees into a nuc etc and probably burn the hive.
We need to insert a transmitter into the wood that sends a signal that can be tracked if the hive is moved and catch the thief. The technology is already with us to do it but the costs are too high for us hobbyist beekeepers. Unless we can baulk buy?
If the thieves are nicking now rather than waiting for April with wintered bees, stolen for cash??

 

[Itchy]

What is the individual cost of tracker devices?

 

[Norfolk]

What is the individual cost of tracker devices?

What is the technology I wonder

 

[dpearce4]

At he beehive supplier's address ...Hassocks, West Sussex

That's a real shock, the hives there are at the back of some houses and it is a small track/private road one way in one way out. People must have seen if it was there.

More likely it was at one of their out apiaries somewhere.

 

[BeeJayBee]

Branding isn't really an option for poly hives.

All you need is to write your initials inside using epoxy resin...

Oh, I didn't think of that!

It is on the top bars. Many beehive thefts recently in California. Thieves steal the hives, move the bees and frames into their own equipment, and rent the hives to the almond grower. Brands on the boxes are useless in this scenario, but brands on the top bars are still there. With your extensive inspection program of full time and seasonal inspectors, I bet the thieves would be caught.

It would be nice if it would work.

I've only ever heard of one lot of hives being recovered (the recent Dorset ones) and one likely thief being almost caught, but not prosecuted. I think it was ITLD who said they were sure they knew who was doing the stealing over quite a few years, but when the Police investigated they found a lot of unidentifiable burnt frames. A set of new frames isn't particularly expensive if the hives and bees are free.

 

[TryingToLetThemBee]

From Pains facebook page

A great shame that someone felt it necessary to break into one of the Apiaries and steel hives from us over the weekend. Bees and beekeepers struggle as it is to now-a-days and dont need thieves amongst themselves. If any of you hear of a beekeeper (most likely in the Sussex area) increasing his hive numbers at this time of the year (which is very very unusual) please let us know.

 

[o.stjohn]

Shopping at Paynes today (I love their £1 bargain bin!) - apparently it was an out-apiary near Lewes (pronounced Lewis not Lews) and only 1 hive was actually taken but several others were set up to be taken - they reckon they were disturbed. And all this happened around midnight!

 

[alanf]

What is the individual cost of tracker devices?

What is the technology I wonder

It's possible to track mobile phones. The service is marketed to track your children, the elderly (alzheimers etc) or employees. it usually relies on working out which fixed phone masts can get a signal from the phone and can be within a hundred yards or so. Any budget mobile phone should be capable of remaining on standby for a week, there are plenty that claim a month. The service does rely on tracking in the (possibly brief) period between taking the hive and turning the phone off. Easy-ish to conceal a phone in a hive, at least until the frames are examined. Some tracking services are even pay-as-you-go so upfront costs are a cheap phone and spare batteries that you would have to change periodically.

Anything else is going to be more expensive. If you did want to try it the most widespread technology is for cars. Several companies offer products, where they state the technologies it's often GPS and VHF. The costly bit is that the device is being monitored on VHF bands by the company, which means annual charges. Initial costs can be somewhere over 100 pounds, but the annual charge is around 150. Wired into a car 12V system (or a truck) it's entirely a different prospect for anything self contained. I did see that some companies offer variants for tracking your dog. Using GPS and mobile phone technology, cost starts at around a hundred pounds. The device texts back the position when phoned. Running costs are maintaining credit on a sim so it can text back, so relatively low. Various devices quote battery life between 17 hours and two days, fine for recharging between walkies but not practical in a hive.

There is the sort of kit used for wildlife tracking. VHF transmitters start in the hundred quid range. A receiver will cost hundreds on top, and you usually need to be within a mile or two to track the transmitters. The more sophisticated devices transmit to satellite or mobile phone networks, a heavier device you might build into a collar for a big cat. The cost quoted by some US companies for those runs to 1500-2000 dollars.

On the whole, I think I'll stick with writing my phone number on several surfaces inside the hive.

 

[VEG]

I think branding/marking will go some way to deterring thieves. There does seem to be a big increase in thefts this year though.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I think branding/marking will go some way to deterring thieves.

I suggest a big capital 'T' on the forehead.

I believe the old procedure was removal of left ear for first offence, right for second then slitting of the nose if the thief was lucky enought to have a lenient judge who didn't opt for hanging in the first place.