Hive Vandallism

[Apis629]

Does anyone here have a problem with vandalls (animal or otherwise) terrorising your hives.  Racoons here have a tendancy to eat bees just like skunks.  Yeserday, when inspection a hive I have in a 1 hive outyard, the COVER had been COMPLETELY removed and set up against a near by tree.  I'm not sure what they were doing but, there was no chilled brood.  The bees weren't exactly gentle though...  Anyways, I would have thought that being stinging insects they would repell most vandalls, but is their something I should be doing to keep people from tampering with the hives.  I already have tehm on cinderblocks to protect against rodents and such.

[jefftck]

Put a warning sign on the hive saying
     WARNING AFRICAN KILLER BEES
         STAY BACK 100 FEET


That way you would know if it was animals or people

[beemaster]

We have a few feral hives on the Naval Base where I work, they have taken over bluebird boxes in the nature reserve area and a few fire call boxes too. The big animal issue they have, believe it or not are OTTERS which live successfully in the ponds at work.

My colonies have a flight path across my front sidewalk leading to my mailbox and I warn people with the following words on a sign posted in the front yard.

Warning: This sidewalk crosses a honeybee flight path, proceed cautiously, WALK DON'T RUN and stay on the side walk. KEEP AWAY from the bee boxes on the left.

You should see my mail lady - lol. She follows my simple directions quite well. She walks to the box, places the mail inside and turns around slowly with purpose and leaves all at the same pace.

This also has alerted all the kids in the neighborhood who constantly ride by my home hoping to catch me working the hives - when I do, I almost always have a gathering, which is sweeeeeeeeet  

[Apis629]

Put a warning sign on the hive saying
WARNING AFRICAN KILLER BEES
STAY BACK 100 FEET

Yes, that would certainly tell me if it's animals or people but, given there's a school within 200 feet of the hive I'd rather not have some student start screeming about his/her concerns then get parents involved and then have it escalate (sp).  I could probably just put a cinder block on top and if that's moved then I can be SURE it was the action of a person.  I doubt there's any animal in florida interested in honey/bees short of bears that would be capable of moving such weight.  But, a sign would probably be easier.  What surprises me is that that hive is the hotter of the two.  They persistantly head but if anyone gets near.  They don't usually sting to excess, just head-butt.

[Diver]

As I stated in an earlier topic the main problem I have is vandalism here in the UK, and we are lucky we dont have any animal bee-predators.

I doubt an animal would stack the cover against a tree, more likely one of the kids from the school nearby.

I use straps to hold the hive together and the cover on. I make sure the clips are close to the bottom, so if someone wants to undo them they have to bend/kneel down beside the hive.  They are not then in a position that they are ready to run. Helps as a deterrent, but nothing will stop a determined vandal.

[nature_girl]

I have had a few vandelism problems w/ my hive.

1. Somebody tried to knock it over once. Why, I am not quite sure.
    1.a. I pounded tall stakes in the ground on 3 sides of the hive.
    1.b. I also wrote on each side of the hive.
           " Warning Live Bees "

2. I had mice living under the hive stand.
    2.a. I removed the nests, and sprayed euculptis oil.

3. I had something chewing the wood on all 4 corners.
    3.a. I nailed some flashing on the corners.

4. I have a automatic dog water bowl in front of the hive that something was knocking over, each night.
    4.a. I put it up on 2 cement blocks, & filled it w, stones.

Hope this helps

[woodchopper]

4. I have a automatic dog water bowl in front of the hive that something was knocking over, each night.
     4.a. I put it up on 2 cement blocks, & filled it w, stones.

This sounds like raccoons.

[doak]

The "CRITTER GETTER"  motion detector, was effective for me for a couple years. Haven't had to use it for a while. I found some  critters bothering mine and after I talked to the critters "mother", it stopped.
About that time is when I found a hive top and quart feeder jar, inaproperatly missplaced for it to have been a 4 legged critter.
doak

[Sean Kelly]

We used to have a sign on our front gate that read, "Screw the Dog, Beware of the Owner!" and had a picture of a revolver as if you were looking down the barrel.   :evil:
That worked great.

Sean Kelly