Theft prevention

[alltddu]

Has anyone used Abelo's hive tracking device or can you recommend another one? Are they any good? Obviously it would need to have a movement alert. (We have some bees on a site which is close to a road and visible. It was meant to be just for the osr but thinking of keeping the site on for longer.)

 

[blackcloud]

There's a few threads on hive thefts
They're only as good as you are at confronting any suspect when you do eventually find the long discarded remnants of the boxes.
They might not be a sweet elderly couple in straw hats.....
With any security device you are always going to be a step behind and unless the scumbag is just a casual opportunist there's nothing really you can do.
The police will not be interested in low level stuff like this either so camera footage is worthless.
In your case I'd move the hives to another corner if they've been there a while and put up a temporary screen.
We've had countless break ins so please excuse the cynicism.
On the plus side I've learned lots of the tricks of I ever chose go to the Dark Side of the Force....

 

[Gilberdyke John]

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[MillMeadow]

I've heard that some people have had success with those little trip mechanisms that can be used to set off a blank shotgun cartridge when gates are opened.

I don't know how practical it would be fitted to a hive stand or roof though. You'd have to remember to disable it each inspection though or be in for a shock!

I've often wondered how thieving scroats shift the bees and hives on, given that it is quite a small market and must surely be sold relativley local - the bees anyway.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I've heard that some people have had success with those little trip mechanisms that can be used to set off a blank shotgun cartridge when gates are opened.

I don't know how practical it would be fitted to a hive stand or roof though. You'd have to remember to disable it each inspection though or be in for a shock!

I've often wondered how thieving scroats shift the bees and hives on, given that it is quite a small market and must surely be sold relativley local - the bees anyway.

You're assuming for a start that the OP has a SGC

 

[ericbeaumont]

how thieving scroats shift the bees and hives on

Hives are burned and bees are put into new boxes. If you'd marked your frames and I was the thief, I would shake the bees into a new box and cut and strap the combs into new frames.

We had easier thefts last year: they took out the Q and 6 best combs and used 6 empty poly nucs to take them away.

 

[MillMeadow]

They arn't hard to obtain though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/12g-Shotgun-Alarm-Mine-Blanks/dp/B01LWJALNC

 

[blackcloud]

If the majority of my colonies were taken they'd probably be returned soon after with an apology note.

Tripwires, chains ,padlocks,razorwire ,machine gun nests-go for it by all means but you're just making life so tiresome for yourself so fairly soon you either won't bother with the contraptions or won't bother with bees.

 

[user 20297]

There's a few threads on hive thefts
They're only as good as you are at confronting any suspect when you do eventually find the long discarded remnants of the boxes.
They might not be a sweet elderly couple in straw hats.....
With any security device you are always going to be a step behind and unless the scumbag is just a casual opportunist there's nothing really you can do.
The police will not be interested in low level stuff like this either so camera footage is worthless.
In your case I'd move the hives to another corner if they've been there a while and put up a temporary screen.
We've had countless break ins so please excuse the cynicism.
On the plus side I've learned lots of the tricks of I ever chose go to the Dark Side of the Force....

Here in The Highlands I was watching a documentary on the local police force who employed two officers to travel over a hundred miles to a specialist animal autopsy unit in order to tie in the DNA profile of some intestines left on a remote hillside with the carcasses or two stags that had been found in a poacher's van. The effort included a team driving up to the moors and consulting with a local gamekeeper to discuss land boundaries and the location of the deer guts; in all, a massive and expensive effort. They called this "wildlife crime". But the deer aren't wild, they belong to a very wealthy landowner and I doubt that they would go to this effort if someone took my hens.

My verdict is that if I ever suffer hive losses I'm going to claim that it's a wildlife crime and strongly imply that I'm a wealthy nob....at least a part of that is true.

 

[user 20297]

If the majority of my colonies were taken they'd probably be returned soon after with an apology note.

Tripwires, chains ,padlocks,razorwire ,machine gun nests-go for it by all means but you're just making life so tiresome for yourself so fairly soon you either won't bother with the contraptions or won't bother with bees.

.....in my case the same applies, but I would probably get a summonse under the Dangerous Animals Act.

 

[enrico]

Make sure the floor is permanently attached to something heavy like a breeze block underneath, even if it means using solid floors. They probably won't lift the hive without the floor and they won't be able to move it with a breeze block attached.

 

[blackcloud]

Its a wildlife crime and strongly imply that I'm a wealthy nob....at least a part of that is true.

There's three variables

 

[user 20297]

There's three variables

I'm not rich, for a start. I used to be, but then I started keeping bees.

 

[Swarm]

Which makes you richer in more ways.

 

[Sutty]

Best way to make a small fortune from beekeeping?........ Start with a large fortune!

 

[Sutty]

I guess you could put an airtag or similar in a frame so the bees cover it with wax to locate a stolen colony, but you may still struggle to get the police interested unless there has been a spate of reported thefts.

 

[Ian123]

Has anyone used Abelo's hive tracking device or can you recommend another one? Are they any good? Obviously it would need to have a movement alert. (We have some bees on a site which is close to a road and visible. It was meant to be just for the osr but thinking of keeping the site on for longer.)

The best theft prevention is keep them out of site….so no don’t stick them in view of the road, anything else is dealing with it after the event!
Whilst no personal experience of theft I’ve known of 3 sites locally that have had hives taken…..funny enough all visible from the road.

 

[Bluebell1985]

I guess you could put an airtag or similar in a frame so the bees cover it with wax to locate a stolen colony, but you may still struggle to get the police interested unless there has been a spate of reported thefts.

I considered adding AirTags hidden within a hive. I’m led to believe they will only assist you finding the hives again, if they are within Bluetooth range (10ft/30m) of ANY iPhone.

If apple modified them to work with any Bluetooth enabled device I think they would be worth considering.

 

[Wingy]

You're assuming for a start that the OP has a SGC

Don’t need a shot gun licence for this device you can buy on the likes of Amazon etc. shotgun mine alarm with saluting blanks. No projectile so does not fall into the category of section 2 firearms act .

 

[Sutty]

My hive stands are two 10cm square 2.4m wood lengths, with cross-pieces underneath, topped with 50cm squares of decking slats sold as squares at b&q.
They easily take 4 national hives each.
It strikes me that if using wood floors it would be easy to screw them to the stand. Then thieves would need to bring floors to move the hives, moving an 8 foot stand with hives on not easy!
I might do this if I ever have an out apiary.