Bee rustling

[veggiechicken]

Bee aware

'Specialist' thieves steal 24,000 bees - BBC News

[Jay-ell]

I think that the police have an under cover operative in the gang - this was a honey trap. Part of a sting operation.

I'll buzz off now.

[Jay-ell]

A bee smoker was found at the scene - do you recognise it

[lottie dolly]

That is bad news,i only hope karma WILL sting the theives,can bees find their way back to where they were taken from,or just the hive,

[veggiechicken]

I think that the police have an under cover operative in the gang - this was a honey trap. Part of a sting operation.

I'll buzz off now.

Beehive yourself, Jay-ell

[hamamelis]

Is it just me who always wonders who got the job of counting them?

[mothhawk]

They won't rustle mine, they've all got ear tags......

[veggiechicken]

^^^ Nutter
Made me snort

[DWSmith]

I hope she had her livestock all up on their branding so they can be identified if they're found. Mine all have my bee ranch brand on their butt - Bzzzzz!

Actually, 24,000 bees is a fairly small colony. I think a decent size colony has around 60,000 bees. I don't see any way that number of bees could be worth anywhere near what the owner claimed their value to be. I'm guessing 2 deeps could hold that many bees and could easily be stolen by one person in a few minutes.

Still, that loss can be heartbreaking.

[Guest]

^^^It says she only had them a year, so would be fair to say she bought them. It says they took 6 hives 4 colonies. (Hive £150-£300 x 6 = £900- £1800) + (colony £200 - £300 x 4 = £800 - £1200) = £1700 - £3000. For once the £2000 is a realistic price, still doesn't matter. I would be devastated if that happened to me. The things I have heard beekeepers do to keep them safe

Edit: haven't come across size of colony to reflect in price/value. Start up colony is usually a queen and 5 frames any bigger and it is just a bonus.

[Madasafish]

Electronic ear tagging is the answer.

[Jay22]

Didn't know bee stealing was a thing, do they hold them for ransom, sell them on or what?

[Martin H]

I bet it was the Brown Paper Kid. He's made a career out of rustling.

[Nicos]

It's utterly shameful.
It's as bad as steeling sheep, cows horses etc directly from a field.
I recall being shown by a farmer how to hang a gate so no-one could easily pinch it!...a gate for goodness sake!

[Guest]

Didn't know bee stealing was a thing, do they hold them for ransom, sell them on or what?

Anything anyone can make a little on will get stolen. Bees tend to be sold on, but may be split, queenless etc. so they die