Most easy and cheap protection against bee theft?

George007 · February 15, 2016, 10:52:55 AM

Do you have any idea about easy, cheap and long life (no electricity around) way that helps to find stolen hives or helps to protect them? GPS Tracker, camera, microchips or just branding of hives?

GSF · February 15, 2016, 02:25:36 PM

George, welcome to Beemaster. In Alabama by law we are to put our apiary ID on our hives. I brand mine. I can't help you much because around where I live I've never even heard of a hive being stolen. Where you from?

KeyLargoBees · February 15, 2016, 02:42:07 PM

with that forum name he is obviously an "international man of mystery" ;-)

Michael Bush · February 15, 2016, 04:47:54 PM

Mine are all branded with my name. They are also all eight frame mediums. They also have hand holds only on the ends. It won't help me track them, but it makes them pretty identifiable. My biggest reason is that I have a lot of them on other people's land and I don't want an argument someday as to who owns them...

Joe D · February 15, 2016, 10:45:13 PM

Also a sign WARNING KILLER BEES BEEWARE.

George007 · February 16, 2016, 09:02:56 AM

Thanks! I am beginner, this year was my first. My grandfather has appiary in Europe and I got one hive in New York. I was just wondering if my lovely bees are safe :-). I like killer bees sign, it is fun :-). Branding seems ok, but how to do it?

Michael Bush · February 16, 2016, 12:38:06 PM

A branding iron is expensive, but if keeps your hives from being stolen it would definitely be worth it.

Acebird · February 16, 2016, 05:43:09 PM

Quote from: George007 on February 16, 2016, 09:02:56 AM
Branding seems ok, but how to do it?

If you are only talking one or two hives you can paint free hand your name in the raw wood with melted wax. Then paint the box any color. The paint won't stay where the wax is.

Wombat2 · February 16, 2016, 09:45:53 PM

if you are handy with a welder or know someone who is you can make a branding iron - I have made two in my life as a beekeeper in two different States requiring different numbers. Our requirements are the numbers have to be 1" high and I used angle iron end on - the current number being L704 so all it took was 3 bits of angle -2 squashed a bit in the vice and a piece of pipe a small piece of straight and 15 minute fiddle with the welder - the handle came off an old garden tool with a wooden handle and iron shaft.

GSF · February 17, 2016, 05:58:33 AM

If a branding iron is more money than you want to spend then maybe get an etcher.

little john · February 17, 2016, 06:39:04 AM

The uncomfortable truth is that Joe Public doesn't steal beehives, or anything from beehives - Joe is far too nervous of bees for that - it's other beekeepers who do the stealing. So, sadly, although 'Killer Bee' signs are amusing enough, they won't actually deter thieves.

Bear in mind that there are two separate approaches to take towards thefts - one is to deter the theft from occurring, the other is to detect the hive once it has been stolen. But they are quite different. So - branding, gps trackers etc won't actually stop the theft, whereas ground anchors might. I say 'might', rather than 'will', because a determined thief will have made a prior inspection, and will be armed with bolt cutters or whatever else is required to overcome any obstacles.

Thefts are of three kinds: Boxes, Bees and/or Honey.

Boxes can be protected by making them yourself and leaving them scruffy, or painting them outrageous colours. Anything to make them more difficult to sell than new, commercially-built boxes.

Two or more hives can be secured by one or more ground anchors, with a telescopic steel roof secured to it/them - this was a method successfully used by Roger Delon high up in the French Alps.

I deploy Long Hives in the fields around here - these have a low profile, and what can't be seen won't be stolen. If I should ever experienced a theft, then I'd bolt two or more together, and padlock the roofs on. That still wouldn't stop a determined thief from stealing bees or honey, but it might just encourage them to look elsewhere instead.

Sadly, there is NO guaranteed method of preventing theft - hives are items of value left unattended for long periods of time: ideal targets for thieves - the best you can do is make life tough for the thief, and construct your boxes as cheaply as possible so that if a theft does occur, that hit can be absorbed with minimal financial loss.

LJ

Wombat2 · February 17, 2016, 07:02:28 AM

Little John you are right about who steals bees - try all the queens being stolen, then a few weeks after the requeening the hives get stolen ! They got found about 250 km away in the possession of father and son beeks. Found out by a nosey neighbour ringing the DPI to find out how many hives were allowed on small rural properties as the neighbours had just doubled the number of hives. DPI checked and found if true that was more than they were registered for so paid a visit. The stolen hives were there with their brands.

yes2matt · February 17, 2016, 07:32:24 AM

Quote from: GSF on February 17, 2016, 05:58:33 AM
If a branding iron is more money than you want to spend then maybe get an etcher.

Could you get metal stencils and shoot thru them with a torch? (This is only an hypothetical, I haven't wanted to do it)

George007 · February 17, 2016, 09:26:55 AM

Wombat, it seems you have been lucky with your hives. How it continued? How much it could be for a branding iron? Unfortunately, I am not handy with a welder and would be affraid of experiments with a torch...

Acebird · February 17, 2016, 12:26:01 PM

Another cheap way of making a branding iron is to use #10 copper wire bent in the shape of the letter or number and heat it with a Weller soldering gun. You would have to make and iron for each letter/number and change them one at a time. Use some kind of insulator to push the wire into the burning wood.

Dabbler · February 17, 2016, 04:21:57 PM

Instead of burning a brand, could you make a "stencil/pattern " out of 1/4" plywood and then use a Dremel tool with a vee bit to engrave the boxes?

KeyLargoBees · February 17, 2016, 05:02:24 PM

That sounds like a viable plan but also like a whole lot of work ;-P

Acebird · February 17, 2016, 08:47:45 PM

Quote from: Dabbler on February 17, 2016, 04:21:57 PM
Instead of burning a brand, could you make a "stencil/pattern " out of 1/4" plywood and then use a Dremel tool with a vee bit to engrave the boxes?

Sure but if he has nothing to start with that ain't so cheap.

MangoBee · February 17, 2016, 11:03:33 PM

My brand cost me about $100 (it is not electric). I heated it with a MAPP gas torch. Works well. I branded my boxes and the tops of my frames.

Dabbler · February 18, 2016, 08:03:52 AM

Quote from: Acebird on February 17, 2016, 08:47:45 PM
Quote from: Dabbler on February 17, 2016, 04:21:57 PM
Instead of burning a brand, could you make a "stencil/pattern " out of 1/4" plywood and then use a Dremel tool with a vee bit to engrave the boxes?
Sure but if he has nothing to start with that ain't so cheap.

$10 .00, scrap wood, and some time.
http://www.harborfreight.com/80-piece-rotary-tool-kit-97626.html

Just saying . . . . .