Theft of hives

[Norfolk]

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

Both things are true, the latter very sad.

I wont be recommending fixing a mobile phone to each part of a hive anytime soon

 

[Hans wilson]

Brilliant comment -love it

 

[pargyle]

Where did that come from ?

 

[priono]

you vcan buy gps tracker. they are the size of a usb stick with sim card inside. you send the stick a message and the stick replies with gps cordinates. they are around 20quid from china. my concern is the electricity. they are made for cars or vans with batteries.

 

[wessexmario]

other ways to security mark items are using ultraviolet pens, and RFID tags.

As both are 'discrete' markings they won't alert a bee inspector, but if someone was suspected of stealing hives and the hives were checked by the police then they'd prove without doubt that the hive or components were stolen.

 

[busybeephilip]

You need something that alerts you if the hive is tampered with what about

http://www.arnia.co.uk/

or there could be something similar out there

 

[seaknight]

Why don't we try marking our at risk hives and equipment (not the bees!) with SmartWater (TM)?

http://smartwater.tv/

Disclaimer: I don't work for the company or hold any shares in them, I just want to stop any more thefts from taking place!

 

[Hivemaker.]

Why don't we try marking our at risk hives and equipment (not the bees!) with SmartWater (TM)?

How smart is it, would it stop the equipment being burnt or dumped, as it is the bees the thieves are after.

 

[pargyle]

There are several lengthy and informative threads on hive security if you have a look using the search function, some ideas are very entertaining, a few are lllegal and some are very sensible but the reality is that, if you have an out apiary anywhere accessible, it's going to be vulnerable to a determined thief.

The general concensus was:
A> Site your apiary where it cannot be seen from a road or a public path.
B> Employ some means of making it difficult to remove the hives .. fastening them to a strong point set in the ground perhaps.
C> Mark all the components in a permanent and clear way.
D> If people live near your out apiary then make sure they have your contact details and get a jar of honey or two in return for keeping their eyes open.
E> Real or fake CCTV cameras can be a deterrent

Anything that shuts the door after the horse has bolted is probably a waste of time as the Police seem to have little success in finding stolen bees/hives. Unless you live close enough to respond to a call then any monitoring devices that registers when the hive is disturbed will be a waste of money.

But .. as I said earlier, it's a sad fact that a determined thief will circumvent all of these and it's sadder that the vast majority of hive thefts are clearly carried out BY BEEKEEPERS - so keep your apiary locations to yourself !

 

[BeeJayBee]

Why don't we try marking our at risk hives and equipment (not the bees!) with SmartWater (TM)?

How smart is it, would it stop the equipment being burnt or dumped, as it is the bees the thieves are after.

It'll work if each bee is marked! As far as I know smartwater won't survive being burned.

Labels on boxes might act as a deterrent to a casual thief, but not to one who steals bees to fill an order.

 

[seaknight]

If someone's determined to steal, they will, regardless of the protection measures implemented. The best we can do is deter opportunistic thieves and site the apiaries where we can keep a regular eye on them.

 

[The Drone Ranger]

you vcan buy gps tracker. they are the size of a usb stick with sim card inside. you send the stick a message and the stick replies with gps cordinates. they are around 20quid from china. my concern is the electricity. they are made for cars or vans with batteries.

Hi priono.
The A8 tracker is small less than half a matchbox
Costs around £12
It can ring your mobile when it hears activity and you are able to listen to what it hears.
It can text you an sos message when the tiny button on it is pressed.
Its got gps tracking but that doesnt work in UK.
Main drawback battery life (rechargeable) 5 days.
Tried one of the phone battery boosters you can buy but device is disabled when charging port in use.
Cheap device to experiment with takes standard phone sim programming by text message to the sim card

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

It can text you an sos message when the tiny button on it is pressed.

Just got to teach the bees to press it

 

[The Drone Ranger]

Lol!
The idea would be if the hive is lifted or knocked over the A8 texts you the SOS message.
The battery is tiny though and that's what lets it down

 

[Alabamaeee]

Bees won't be keen on the microwave radiation