It seems that I got hit recently (don't know when exactly).

I have two hives with one doing much better than the other this year. The good hive had one full honey super on it when I added another about two weeks ago. Yesterday, I was out adding another super to the slower hive when I thought, as long as I'm out here let's see how the other one is doing. So, I took off the top and looked down inside and they'd made no new comb on the upper super. That's odd, I thought, so I pulled off the top super and the bottom one was completely empty of comb as well, when it was packed full two weeks ago. I was puzzled as I'd never seen that before.

I got to talking with a buddy and fellow beekeeper and he told me that thieves have been targeting hives and just taking the full frames inside and replacing them with empty ones. These bastards go around at night and target smaller operations and have been going around the whole area lately. Motherfuckers!

I do have a trailcam set up over the hives, but didn't think to look until after I'd talked to my buddy. I put it up there as I've had bears trying to mess with the hives in the past. When I got home and opened it up, both the batteries and the storage card were gone. These are some smart, and ballsy thieves.

So, I've ordered another trailcam, with cellular, and I'll mount it up much higher. Hopefully, if those bastards come back, I can catch them in the act and ruin their fucking day. That new thermal scope may come in handy...along with my backhoe.

Tar and feather sound good.

Really sorry to hear that. My wife really wants bees.

Can guarantee it wasn't me. We'd love to have 10 acres someday & I told her the bees can be 10 acres away from the house. I want nothing to do with them.
She picks them up barehanded when they get stuck in the pool & transitions them to nearby flowers.

Wasps, yellow jackets & the like, on the other hand, get taken out with extreme prejudice.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Really sorry to hear that. My wife really wants bees.

Can guarantee it wasn't me. We'd love to have 10 acres someday & I told her the bees can be 10 acres away from the house. I want nothing to do with them.

Honey bees are pretty harmless and docile, unless you mess with their house, then all bets are off.

I'm with you on the wasps/yellowjackets. Got no use for them.

I never heard of honey thieves . I guess people will steal anything ..

I hate to hear about your losses. Be sure to report it to police/sheriff so that if they ever get caught the penalties might be increased.

quote:

Originally posted by Schmelby:
Tar and feather sound good.

Honey and Rope, let the bears have at 'em...

Electric fence time?

Leave the old trail cam where it was, as they know it’s there. Put the new one somewhere more hidden but with a good view of the hive and/or the old trail cam.

Did they just take the honey, or did they take your bees too?

Hope they eat nine OO buck pellets soon

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Did they just take the honey, or did they take your bees too?

Nope, hive and bees are still there, they just swapped out full honey frames with empty ones. Pretty sneaky as most people don't check them regularly.

Dig a ready-to-use grave next to the hives and put up a sign which reads, "Do you really want to take a chance I'm not watching right now?"

Bee on the lookout for little black rain clouds:

quote:

Originally posted by LS1 GTO:
Dig a ready-to-use grave next to the hives and put up a sign which reads, "Do you really want to take a chance I'm not watching right now?"

That really made me laugh. Best post of the day.

Sorry to hear this. My neighbor raises bees and I know there's a lot of work involved.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
That new thermal scope may come in handy...along with my backhoe.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
Honey bees are pretty harmless and docile, unless you mess with their house, then all bets are off.

I recall that after moving to AZ [shortly after, about 2005] the state's Agricultural Extension service and a couple of universities stating that 100% of the feral honey bees in AZ were the Africanized variety. But the same thing Gustofer says still goes, do not mess with them unless they are near their nest. I know this (the docile part anyway) because I work around our flowering trees and bushes all the time. The nectar-gathering bees pay me no mind.

I can’t believe this. I’m outraged for you. Someone had to take the time to case your hives, then sneak in and steal from just 1? WTH. Is honey that expensive?
They must have plans to return if they took the batteries, too, huh? So freaking weird. And lazy.
Just hating people more every day.

quote:

So, I've ordered another trailcam, with cellular, and I'll mount it up much higher.

Maybe two?

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

So, I've ordered another trailcam, with cellular, and I'll mount it up much higher.

Maybe two?

Or just reinstall the original in the same location like it hasn't been touched, then have the second covering it.