Bee rustling

[Dallasbeek]

http://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/bee-rustlers-strike-beekeeper-manvel/
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[Hops Brewster]

That bites! 
I know that there is a lot of work involved in branding every box and frame (I do this, but have only a few hobby colonies),  but IMO it's the best thing a beekeeper can do to help protect his colonies from theft.   

The boxes can be easily changed out, but there is a greater value in what is on the frames, so branding them might increase the chances of preventing a theft, or finding the thief.

[BeeMaster2]

I'll bet those bees end up in California. I would contact the bee inspectors an let them know what identification marks to look for.
Jim

[Oldbeavo]

Is any one using GPS trackers?
If so could you please give details, size, where in hive and cost?
Bee theft is not exclusive to Texas, happens in Australia also.

[Acebird]

Bee theft is not exclusive to Texas, happens in Australia also.

The simplest thing you can do is make a template and shoot two or three brads at an exact location in every box and frame and then put a sign up that your equipment is coded for theft deterrence.  The brads can be detected by a simple magnet or something like a stud finder.  The code is the simplest form of a bar code which proves ownership.  Cost isn't worth discussing.

[Oldbeavo]

It is not proving the box/ bees are yours, we suspect the valuable part of the theft is the bees.
The bees are moved to new/other boxes and the stolen boxes are burnt or disposed of.
There are some GPS devices that detect motion, so that as soon as your box is moved an alarm goes off on your phone, it will also tell you the new location of your box, if your quick enough I guess.
So branding etc may not provide any security if the box is burnt.

[Acebird]

The work involved in stealing, putting the bees in other equipment and burning the stolen equipment cannot have much of a payoff.  Burning something where I live requires a good reason and usually a permit.  Of course branding or marking of any equipment doesn't guarantee you will catch the criminal.  Neither does any GPS tracking device when the criminal knows there is one.

[Oldbeavo]

If you have empty boxes and you can fill them with bees plus a super of honey, then take them pollinating almonds the payoff would be OK.
90% of beekeeping in Australia is migratory, some of our bees are on their 6th shift since going to almonds late July, so there can be a lot of public exposure or to other beekeepers on public land.
I would recognise my boxes if they were on a truck or I drove past them, unless a lot of work was done to alter them.

[paus]

I use game cameras in my yards they work great they are IR , no flash, and in a tree very hard to detect.  There are some cameras that send a picture to your cell phone, not cheap but reasonable, 

these may be helpful if your conditions are compatible to this setup.

[GSF]

Haven't heard of that around here - yet.

[Nugget Shooter]

Sadly it is also showing up here in Arizona and last year there were several thefts that made the news. Most are transported across the border before the beekeeper even knows they are gone and no laws here or to our South regarding burning....

[paus]

I have been thinking of following Michael Bush and use 8 frame boxes as he does and for most of the same reasons.  Bee rustling is another reason to use 8 frame as these are not standard and would stand out like a sore thumb.  Long hives would be even more of a deterrent.

[little john]

First of all you need to decide whether you want to prevent the thefts, or catch the villains - as different strategies are required for each.  But of course they CAN be combined ...

Ever been out trapping ... ?

So - you lay out all of your hives (homemade, scruffy, Long Hives are good) - chained to ground anchors or chained together ... whatever it takes to make them appear a mega-hassle to steal.
But leave just the one hive - the newest, smartest, best looking one, and on the smaller size if possible (so easiest to lift) very obviously without any chains attached.  That's the bait - the one which WILL be pinched.  And of course, that's the one which has the GPS tracker inside.
LJ

[Dallasbeek]

I have a friend whose heavy-duty trailer was stolen.  His replacement cost about $4,500.  It has 2x12 flooring.  He took it apart and drilled a hole in the side of one board and installed a tracker.  The service costs $20 a month, but if it moves even a few feet, the service will call his cell phone and give updates on location every 30 minutes.  He said it's cheaper than insurance."

I doubt  if it would be cost effective for a hobby beekeeper with a few hives, but if I had a large operation, at least one hive would have a tracker.

[Blacksheep]

I would bet that who ever stole the bees had a lot of losses due to various reasons and have boxes to transfer the bees into!Just remove the bees and burn the boxes and the job is done!

[Dallasbeek]

Good reason to brand frames as well as hive bodies.

[Acebird]

Good reason to brand frames as well as hive bodies.

Well that is what I couldn't understand about just moving the bees to other equipment.  I assumed that meant shaking all the bees into other equipment not just transferring the frames and burning the box.
What I suggested before is branding but not obvious to a thief.  Unfortunately if there is no inspection inside hives for the ones that go to almonds neither method is much good.

A tracker within a hive sounds like a good idea if there is law enforcement close by that can respond quickly.  You wouldn't want to confront the thief yourself.  It might result in a shoot out. 
Camera's only give you a photo.  You still have the problem of identification.  Great for prosecution though.

[Dallasbeek]

Shaking bees off of frames would sacrifice stores, brood, eggs and drawn comb.  Not very effective.  Of course, branded frames would mean having to open boxes and you'd have to have a warrant, I guess.  The best "brand" would be RFID tabs on (or IN) the frames.  An RFID  reader could be run past suspect boxes and this would give you probable cause for a warrant.