Thieves in the night

bozbee · June 28, 2007, 11:24:59 AM

I haravested my first super a few weeks back. layed the frames on the foundation boards for the bees to pick afterwards. The next morning 2 of the frames were missing. Didn't think much of it then, maybe a coon. I have 2 boxes, and started feeding sugar water again because I have 1 week hive. Noticed 1 of the jars full of food was missing about 4 days ago. This past weekend the other one was gone. Something had taken the jar holders out of the stand and took off with the jars and I lookded all around my property and nothing! I set a live trap last night and caught a raccoon and transported it to another place far away. I dosen't make sense, can a raccoon carry off full jars of sugar water or should I be looking for a bear? We do have a lot of coyotes and deer around but are they capable of carrying jars off? Thanks

JP · June 28, 2007, 11:29:30 AM

Perhaps you are looking for a bear named Bill, or Bob, or Kevin,etc... hope not but you never know, who may be lurking around. Hope you figure it out.

KONASDAD · June 28, 2007, 11:49:49 AM

I would be surprised a bear would only take a jar of sugar water. The hive is a nutruient rich opportunity for a bear and they would have knocked it over and destroyed it. I also doubt a raccoon could, w/o any other damage , manage to get a jar off a hive, transport it away so far you cant find it. The raccoon would have knocked it on the ground and licked the lid getting the water and left the jar behind. Look for two leggeed bears as previously mentioned.

wayne · June 28, 2007, 11:57:10 AM

Coyotes, like any animal, like sweets. They are very capable of carring off a jar of syrup, and if still stuck in the feeder it is easier to get hold of.
If possible clear and rake smooth a band of bare dirt around the hive that is 2 to 3 feet wide. Keep it smooth and loose and you will get clear tracks of the thief. Then you can lay mines or whatever is needed.

BMAC · June 28, 2007, 12:17:06 PM

I would be kind of weary about Bill or Mike stealing it too. A local guy here had put hives in an old orchard. He left them on the trailer, but fastened the hives to the trailer itself. No problem for about a month. Then he went to work them to find no hives, only a few screws left on the trailer. I think he said he had 10 hives on that trailer.

Bennettoid · June 28, 2007, 03:08:56 PM

I've heard of hives being stolen quite often.

Are these hives in your yard? How far from the house? How secluded are you?

pdmattox · June 28, 2007, 05:31:40 PM

I also have heard of hives being stolen, In fact in the last few weeks a hive and maybe two at a time go missing from a bunching yard. I think it is a shame that people target beehives to steal. Hope they also get more than they bargin for when they do it. Nothing better than a rotten hive body coming apart. :evil:

fcderosa · June 28, 2007, 05:51:47 PM

Yep, I had a hive stolen by hunters last year. This year no hunters are allowed to park or hunt my property. If it was a bear I doubt you would have a hive left. It does sound like coon antics. I've actually watched them open a door on the dock, remove some fish and then close the door. If I had not watched them I would have thought it was someone playing a joke. :)

jl · June 28, 2007, 06:01:43 PM

You'd be surprised how clever and strong a coon can be. I'd bet a million bucks it was a coon, probably the one you caught, that was stealing your stuff.

Kirk-o · June 28, 2007, 06:12:21 PM

I think it was a Homo Sapien
the two legged Republican kind
kirko

Romahawk · June 28, 2007, 09:03:01 PM

Sounds like what a gol darn Demi-krat would say. :evil:

Kathyp · June 28, 2007, 10:19:37 PM

couldn't have been a republican. don't you know? we are all rich. we can buy you and your hives.

i vote for the coon too. i have a couple around here that are as big as med. size dogs. they are strong, and they like to take stuff even when it's not stuff to eat. nasty buggers.

BEE C · June 29, 2007, 05:21:26 AM

my vote is for the Racoon as well. Little buggers are all over the place here, and freaking huge. Ive had a hell of a time with them. Im always up at night, and have watched them sneek up and carefully open garbage containers setting the lids down, slowly lowering the can to the ground to make no noise...creepy little buggers. They recently got more than they bargained for because I keep old dirty oil/antifreeze and funnels and stuff inside an old garbage can until it can be recycled properly. I watched them do their silent theft and carry off an old antifreeze container. Haven't heard from them since.
I agree with wayne though, landmines will take care of the two legged and four legged thieves.... :evil:

bluegrass · June 29, 2007, 06:50:52 AM

I vote for the coon too.......I have seen coons do some pretty crazy things....had one open an old colman cooler (the type with the old metal latch) and carry every thing in it off. One day you will be out cutting down an old tree and two jar feeders will fall on your head;)

Republicans: 1854-2008 RIP

wrk4beer · June 29, 2007, 09:09:27 AM

I had coons coming into my store at night
they would come through the ceiling in the bathroom
rummage through the trash and other stuff.
I was very perplexed as the motion detectors didnt go off.
Finally the got into the showroom and the the alarm blew.
must have freeked them pretty bad as they really tore the place up
caught 6 25 to 30 lbers
sneaky little critters
:)

mgmoore7 · June 29, 2007, 09:34:39 AM

I would vote for the coon as well. They are very smart little boogers.

Additionally, if you don't relocate a coon at least 20 miles away, it is likely they will be back. They have some sort of internal map.

Secondly, in FL it is illegal to relocate them. We have the right to trap them on our property but they must be killed humanely and either buried or double bagged and put in the trash. You should check the laws in your state.

I have trapped 2 in the last week. I relocated both of them about 5 miles away and then I found out about the rules. I am still trapping as I know there are more and those 2 might be back. I had to kill a snake last night living in some vines on our house and put it in the trap. I thought for sure I would get one but I did not. It does not seem that my house is on their rounds every night.

wtiger · June 29, 2007, 01:35:22 PM

The best bait I've found for raccoons is peanut butter. Get a small piece of carpet wire it securely to the trigger for the trap and smear the peanut butter into the carpet. I have yet to see anything eat off of it that wasn't trapped in the cage the next morning. Just be cautious skunks love this as well and if a dog is small enough to get into the trap it will. I always hate when I have a raccoon problem and I put the trap out, but the skunks beat them too it.

jl · June 29, 2007, 07:23:20 PM

sardines and peanut butter work, but watch out for skunks, approach from the upwind side!!! :-D

doak · June 29, 2007, 08:04:41 PM

First, The best way to let the bees clean up is to put the frames in a super and place them on top. You don't have to remove the iner cover if it has a hole in it. Overnight is enough.
Any longer, they will start storing honey in it. Take off early next morning.
The other way is, if you have the room, place the super on a hive stand, away and out of sight of your
hives. put a top on it with a weight. It will only take a day. When you see no more bees are coming to it, take it up, to storage or what ever you need to do with it.
For your equipment loss, put the feeder jars back on. Set the traps again.
The other big one, People, mostly young ones up to no good.
It happend to me about 4 years ago. The top was half off, feeder jar 30 or 40 ft from the hive.
I caught the culprits and had a talk with their Mother. That ended it.
All the above is my story and I'm sticking to it. ;)
doak

Brian D. Bray · June 29, 2007, 10:54:10 PM

Raccoons love sweets. They can and will steal a jar full of anything they like. They will roll over on their backs holding the jar with their hind paws and work the lid until it comes off. They have to experiment each time with which direction to turn the lid (for the 1st dozen or so) as they have to learn the righty tighty lefty loosy the hard way.

I had a pet raccoon when I was a teenager and he got into the pantry where I stored all my jars of honey. What a Mess. He opened up an tasted every jar he could his hands on. The coon was covered from head to toe in honey as was the basket of laundry he was sitting in.

Sugar works on a raccoon like alcohol does on people--it's intoxicating. What to get one drunk? Feed it raw, uncooked, corn on the cob. The sugar content of the corn makes them drunk by the time they've eaten the 2nd cob. I also know this from experience. having a raccoon for a pet is an EXPERIENCE.