A mini rant about commercial pollinators

[Panhandle Scott]

Let me start off by saying that I do not think that all of the commercial pollinator services are as bad as these folks. You all provide a much needed and valuable service that benefits food production. :applause:

The folks I am talking about put out 4 hive colonies (usual couple of deeps with one having a honey super on it) in the spring right by my house on my neighbor’s property to help with the pollination of the cantaloupe crop. I would post the name of the offending owner but that to me is just not right.

Up until two weeks ago I had noticed less and less bees coming out of the hives. Yesterday afternoon me and my 9 year old daughter walked over to check them out. They have went from 4 strong hives to a skeleton of bees. One hive is doing somewhat decent, another looks on its last leg and the other two were dead as a hammer.:(

The two dead hives had top covers made of particle board which had gaping holes in them due to rot and the hive bodies had at least a ½” gap between them for ventilation. (seems a little to much space) Who knows…disease or pests could have killed them off but I have never once seen anybody check on the hives all season. Maybe even the owner of the hives got sick or passed away, I want to give them some benefit of doubt but if this is how they run their operation then I hope they go out of business since it gives all beekeepers a bad name in the long run.

I told my wife that I need to go and steal the remaining bees and see if I could get a viable hive out of them but I won’t since they are not mine.

It just ticks me off that some have so little regard for the industry they are in. Who knows maybe they might be missing some bees since it seems they could care less if they live or die.

For those of you who do it right….keep up the great work.:thumbsup:

[Birdman]

Why no speek to the land owner and find out who they belong to. Call them up they may give them to you. Because it sound like they dont care about them.

[Panhandle Scott]

Why no speek to the land owner and find out who they belong to. Call them up they may give them to you. Because it sound like they dont care about them.

Birdman...great idea actually because the owners of the hives have their name and phone number stenciled on their boxes. Who knows I might get some free bees if they don't want to hasle with picking up their shotty hives.

I might be able to combine what is left and hopefully get something strong enough to overwinter if I feed them. I live in North Florida so we won't really be getting cold till late November at the earliest.

I will call them tomorrow.

[Hambone]

How big is this cantaloupe crop? 4 hives seems more like a favor than a comm beek worring about a pollination contract. Call the number on it and see if he/she will let you have them. And/or call the land owner as stated above.

[Panhandle Scott]

How big is this cantaloupe crop? 4 hives seems more like a favor than a comm beek worring about a pollination contract. Call the number on it and see if he/she will let you have them. And/or call the land owner as stated above.

The cantaloupes by the house were around 10 acres total but the farmer has other places very close by that also had bees. It could be 5 acres here for melons, 10 acres there for tomatoes, etc.

The number is a out of state # so I don't really think it is a favor type of situation but I could be wrong but I will call them tomorrow.

[Adam]

Scott,

I feel you on the not taking care of the hives. I would love to expand and hate to see good hives and equipment go to waste. I currently have two hives on some pumpkins, and just got off the phone with the grower who has requested two more. He has done everything in his power to take care of the pumpkins, however feels his fruit set is not that great. He said he did not think it was the bees, unless it was a lack of them. There is only about two acres, but there is also two acres of peas right with them that are blooming right now. What part of Washington County are you in? I am in Houston Co. but most of my bees are in the Slocomb area of Geneva Co. right north of you. My grandad kept bees for probably 30-40 years down on Holmes Creek right west of Vernon.

[Panhandle Scott]

Adam....I am halfway between Chipley and Wassau and just a few minutes from Vernon. My hunting lease actually has a part that butts up to Holmes Creek off of 277. Since you are close I might seek you out for some advice since your area is not really different from mine.

As far as your farmer problem....I really don't think it is the bees but the weather. Alot of overcast and rain days of late. Seems like any type of melon/squash crop needs plenty of sunshine to do well. Also to much rain and not enough sun will cause the blooms to rot off.

[Countryboy]

on my neighbor’s property

Yesterday afternoon me and my 9 year old daughter walked over to check them out.

I told my wife that I need to go and steal the remaining bees and see if I could get a viable hive out of them

Let me get this straight. You trespassed onto your neighbor's property, in order to 'check out' chattel property on the neighbor's land, and you admit to having the desire to stealing that property.

You are aware that your conduct is highly illegal, don't you? (And having a 9 year old child along in your criminal pursuits would likely be considered child endangerment.)

Good fences make good neighbors. It's unfortunate your neighbor doesn't have a good fence.

If the hives were junk and worthless you wouldn't want them. You want them because they have value.

It's unreasonable and unrealistic to think someone is just going to give you valuable hives for free, simply because their management practices differ from yours. :no:

While I am aware that the first welfare case in North America was a beekeeper, may I encourage you to approach your beekeeping endeavors with HONESTY?

[Skinner Apiaries]

Ok, so thats dumb. in its entirety. Now here's why. We had a guy down here left a pair of hives on his dead inlaws land for 5 years without ever coming back. So when the boxs started giving way on theirselves a local sideliner picked them up, gave em boxes and did splits for 2 more years off of them. The guy came looking for his hives, and they were gone (like it would have mattered, they would have absconded or died anyway), and calls the law. The local sideliner [I]volunteers[I] that he took care of them, and offeres two boxes of healthy bes with gear to the guy. This guy raises hell, and ends up with 6 boxes, equipment and all. As the bees were the result of his livestock, and I guess the equipment was a punitive measure. So, its just dumb to even think about taking bees. Bees are cheap, sugar is cheaper. Youre better off buying a package, and overfeeding light syrup, and splitting them up as often as they'll fill the box. preaching aside, I don't know anyone I'd call "commercial" that would just drop off 4 boxes... I do know some who will let 1000 boxes die because theyre too cheap to buy fumigillin...

[WI-beek]

This is why you just mind your own business. If you don't like how this outfit keeps there bees thats fine. You can call them and express your opinion to them. Im guessing if they have hives scattered in small quantity in several locations they dont have the time to check in on them all the time. Just the gas alone to drive there would eat all the profit. It also would be the growers responsibility to complain about the health and number of bees in those hives because he/she is the one paying for them. Commercial beeks are not going to have there hives all tidy and fancied up to satisfy nosy neighbors.

It is much better to just mind your own business. Those bees are not humans, there insects. And Ill have you know that you probably would not like how any of the mammals you eat are raised either. If you seen how the canned food you eat was processed you would not eat it. If you seen the cow get milked you would not drink it.

I think the best thing you could do is call the beekeeper and tell them that there bees are in bad shape. They probably would thank you for your concern and give the bees some attention.

[dbest]

When we pull out of Ga in the spring we often leave a few pallets behind for some of our land owners that want some, sometime as many as 20 that won't fit on the last truck. Most years we come back to big boxes of wax moth, beetles, and mice. It keeps the land owner happy. This past year I found a hobby beekeeper that was more than willing to keep these hives alive for us. I left him some honey supers and access to syrup and almost anything else he'd need. It may be in your best intrest to ask. You could become a "foster beekeeper" to some poor orphaned hives.

[alpha6]

Sorry but most commerical guys I know won't place less then 24 hives on a property...just not worth the effort for four hives...unless he is a really small operation...really small. :scratch:

[Skinner Apiaries]

dbest, how many do ya'll run. I too find that little meaningless things like a quart of honey or leaving a split to pollinate a garden will suddenly give me 2 acres of clover to leave a little stand of hives on after blueberries.

[swarm_trapper]

i do have a few drops of one pallet of four. if you do it right it is not too much of a hassle i only take them if they are on the way to another pollinating job i mean it take about one minute to drop a pallet and just stack a few supers on them and pick them up at the end of the year a nice quick 250$ (that will pay for fuel for about a day lol) Nick

[dbest]

dbest, how many do ya'll run. I too find that little meaningless things like a quart of honey or leaving a split to pollinate a garden will suddenly give me 2 acres of clover to leave a little stand of hives on after blueberries.

About 2700. The people that we leave bees behind for are the guys that own the holding yards and loan us trucks, workers, tractors, and barn space. We have one farm where we have 4 different settings of 96, and besides the bees are going to get left anyways. If the last truck is over weight that's just how it goes.

[Gene Weitzel]

All I can say is if I caught someone nosing around by hives without my permission, they would be "splaining" themselves to me looking down the business end of my 12 guage.

[WI-beek]

These bee may also have swarmed leaving hopeless colonies behind. Also thanks to all the pests and diseases now present in the USA, it is hard to keep bees alive. Yes, some commercial beeks would call hives in that shape a condition of PPB (**** poor beekeeping) but untill Obama provides tax payer funded medical care for bees, many beeks will not treat there colonies like they would there family dog.

Panhandle Scott

I think you should call this guy and tell hive you will care for his hives if he provides you a budget and allows you to make a few splits from them. If the person agrees, you may get great deal of satisfaction from doing so and get some free bees as well. Depending on the person they may think it is a great oportunity for them to keep those hives in better shape and health because they dont have they time or means because of the distance they live from there, time restraints, and the list could go on and on. Every coin has two sides. It is easy to judge a book by its cover but it rarely reveals the whole story.

[Panhandle Scott]

This is why you just mind your own business. If you don't like how this outfit keeps there bees thats fine. You can call them and express your opinion to them.

.

That is also what is wrong with alot of this country....people minding their business and letting shoddy practices to continue no matter what it is.

I am not a city boy.....I know plenty of folks who have poultry houses, raise cattle for beef production, have dairys, etc. None of that bothers me as far as what I eat. I hunt and process my own game. But on the othe hand if somebody I know or don't even know has a subpar operation I will say something. Subpar runs the good operators down in the public eyes. If you ae going to do something for a living then you ought to do it at it's best.

[Panhandle Scott]

These bee may also have swarmed leaving hopeless colonies behind. Also thanks to all the pests and diseases now present in the USA, it is hard to keep bees alive. Yes, some commercial beeks would call hives in that shape a condition of PPB (**** poor beekeeping) but untill Obama provides tax payer funded medical care for bees, many beeks will not treat there colonies like they would there family dog.


I understand what you are saying....heck with the Obama plan I can hardly afford to treat the family dog much less trying to take care of hundreds of hives like alot of commercial beeks.

I really could care less if he gives me a budget...I would do it at my own expense just out of pride and satisfaction. Do I need something in return....not really but would hope they would be considerate and understanding and possibly give me something in a trade.

With all of the problems that face bees today, any little bit we can save is a good thing in the long run.

[Countryboy]

That is also what is wrong with alot of this country....people minding their business and letting shoddy practices to continue no matter what it is.

That is the price of maintaining freedom, which was paid for originally in blood.

Subpar runs the good operators down in the public eyes. If you ae going to do something for a living then you ought to do it at it's best.

No, subpar operations simply make the good operators look better by comparison. The 'public eyes' don't pay the bills - this isn't a fashion show.

I believe we should let everyone decide what is best for their lives.

Personally, I don't paint my hives. I'm not convinced the anticipated added longevity of boxes justifies the expense of the paint and the time involved. I can buy unassembled deep boxes for $12, and I can put them together a lot faster than I can put a coat of paint on one. For me, not painting my boxes is best for my operation. It might not look pretty to the public eyes, but I'm able to put a couple dollars in my pocket.

And if someone saw my weatherbeaten unpainted hives, and wanted to steal those hives because of my 'neglect' - I'm afraid my solution would be awfully similar to Gene's.

I let my neighbors live as they see fit, so long as they aren't hurting me or others. But if I see someone nosing around my neighbor's, or giving them grief because of how my neighbor lives, then you can bet I'm going to say something. For some unknown reason, my neighbors love me, and it doesn't bother them to see me with my 870 or a good rifle close at hand.

[Hambone]

All I can say is if I caught someone nosing around by hives without my permission, they would be "splaining" themselves to me looking down the business end of my 12 guage.

But you also have a creek that the local sheriff lets you dump bodies in. :D

[Hambone]

I can buy unassembled deep boxes for $12,

I don't use deeps so I don't know the price off the top of my head, but $12 for deeps seems kind of high. Specially for a bulk order.

[Countryboy]

I don't use deeps so I don't know the price off the top of my head, but $12 for deeps seems kind of high. Specially for a bulk order.

I'm not buying bulk (unless you consider 10 or 20 boxes to be a bulk order) - and that's the total price. No shipping costs on top of that.

I can't build boxes with free rough cut lumber for that, when I factor in my labor/time costs.

[Hambone]

After I posted that I was thinking you were probably including freight in that. $12 still seems high. I am going to look around when I am board in the next few days. I will pm you some better prices(I think). Unless your buying from a friend or don't want to switch.

[EastSideBuzz]

Up until two weeks ago I had noticed less and less bees coming out of the hives. Yesterday afternoon me and my 9 year old daughter walked over to check them out. They have went from 4 strong hives to a skeleton of bees. One hive is doing somewhat decent, another looks on its last leg and the other two were dead as a hammer.:(


Good for you. The people that are condemning you need to get a grip. You cant shoot someone for trespassing these days. It is like force. So straying onto the property with a bee suit on does not constitute a bullet. In Sweden you can go camp on your neighbors property for several days. That is the other extreme. But, I applaud you for checking out the hives. There is a cruelty to animals law. Don't think it applies to insects but, maybe it should.

I would give them a call worst thing they could say is take a flying leap or mind your own business. OR maybe thank you for telling us. :gh:

[WI-beek]

"There is a cruelty to animals law. Don't think it applies to insects but, maybe it should."

Really!! I can already see the headlines.

Parents arrested with new cruelty to insects law. There neighbor called 911 after witnessing there children squishing bugs.

Beekeeper arrested for squishing SHB

Beekeeper given citation for squishing bees when installing a new super to his hive.

Man arrested after neighbor witnessed him neglecting to stop his dog from killing hornets.

One of the main principles when this country was founded was tolerance.

Unfortionatley the idiots still probably would not get it if they were in the cuffs. This country is becoming and idiocracy.

[JohnK and Sheri]

Cmon guys, lets stay on topic. This is getting a bit "tailgatorish" here.
Sheri

[loggermike]

This topic comes up occasionally:
Someone sees neglected hives on someones property,assumes they are abandoned ,and thinks about taking possession.
They may be abandoned, or they could be what I call MIA's.I recently found out about 8 of our hives that were left in an almond orchard a couple years ago.Don't ask how but in the insanity of almond pollination it happens , especially where other people are involved in the moving. So they weren't abandoned per se, but they were definitely neglected. I would have appreciated a call from the grower or a neighbor saying something like
"Hey Bonehead, are you EVER going to come get your bees?":doh:

[EastSideBuzz]

I would have appreciated a call from the grower or a neighbor saying something like
"Hey Bonehead, are you EVER going to come get your bees?":doh:

That is what I was saying. But, you did it more eloquently. Worst thing they could do is hang up on you and give you dirty looks when they come out. Being nosy is not really a good trait but, nosy is helpful sometimes.

When someone's house is robbed and the nosy neighbor came onto the property and saw in the back yard a truck being loaded up with all your possessions and called the police and wrote the license plate down. I think that would be helpful. :D

[Roland]

Respect for other peoples property is one of the founding principles of this country. Remember "taxation without representation"? Some one tried to take our property without permission. There is a reason one of my kin "waited till they say the whites of their eyes", so don't start a fight you can't finish. It's that simple.


Roland

[bigbearomaha]

I can see the OPs intention. He likely wasn't 'trespassing', most rural neighbors don't get that excited unless there's a malicious or criminal intent on the entry to the property. Neighbors typically aren't seen as 'malicious or criminal' unless of course they are the Hatfields and McCoys.

He saw what looked to be a sad situation and took a looksee to find out how bad it might be. no harm no foul. He only said the thought of taking the bees to rebuild them into a strong hive passed through his mind, not that he was actually going to do it.

Commercial keepers look at beekeeping somewhat differently than hobbyist or even conservation keepers. Not all commercial keepers are 'bad guys', some may just be behind schedule or in over their head. It's usually in their best interest to keep bees alive and healthy. It minimizes total operating costs in the long run. Only those who only see the 'short course' don't appreciate the long term benefits of keeping colonies alive and healthy.

There's a lot of times, as a truckdriver, I have gotten an urge to indulge 'rage rage moment' when you have utter morons speed up only to cut in front of a loaded semi and then stomp on their brakes. Thankfully, I keep my senses and they keep their lives. It doesn't mean one is actually going to act in an illegal manner, just the level of frustration one feels when they see something that they think is wrong.

Most of the advice here has been spot on though. Call the landowner, call the keepers Apprise them of the findings and maybe you will have been a help. If they tell you to 'bug off', well, you know that you handle things better and your bees are much better off.

Big Bear

[sdracer12]

BigBear, I would have to agree with you on all points. I think you summed up this situation very eloquently.

[Gene Weitzel]

That is also what is wrong with alot of this country....people minding their business and letting shoddy practices to continue no matter what it is.

Remember what we are talking about here. In the eyes of the law and the vast majority of commercial beekeepers, these bees are property. They are NOT PETS, they are NOT CHILDREN. They are property pure and simple. You are not the authority on how other beekeepers should run their business. Free market principles will always weed out the ones with poor business practices and frankly it would surprise you to learn what makes the best practice when looking at things from a business sense. These bees were not your neighbors property so the argument of "looking out for your neighbor" is disingenuous at best. If you think folks will take kindly to strangers snooping around their property then you are not thinking clearly. They don't know who you are or your intentions. My sage advice to you in situations like this is to mind your own business. Take it for what it is, but if you continue this type of behavior, someone somewhere will take you to task over it and it may not be pretty. Personally, I would not object to someone contacting me and inquiring about my hives, my response would be along the lines of "thank you for your concern, but I have the situation under control". If I found out that they had taken it upon themselves to unilaterally dig into my hives, as I indicated in my previous post, the civility of my response would change dramatically.

To those of you who seem to want to support justification of this kind of intrusive behavior, I offer the same advice.

PS. One other thing you should consider is that now you have opened yourself up to claims of theft or vandalism. How does the beekeeper know that you did not shake out most of the bees and steal them? He could claim that this is why they are now so weak. You could find yourself in the uncomfortable position of defending yourself against criminal charges.

[EastSideBuzz]

I have to say that I have really enjoyed this post as entertainment and how there are such opposing points of view.

I am a property owner and do not want people on my property. Not one that would shoot someone for trespassing but, would be quite a bit mad. Now this hive thing I could go either way on it and do feel for the bee's. Yes they are property but, Bee's evoke a different response then spiders do. So not really pets we all feel for them. Dolphins are not pets but, we feel kind of the same way as people do bee's.

Cheers to the guy that checked out the hives. I would not mention that he looked inside when he calls the farm owner. Curiosity killed the cat. Just tell him they look really sickly and thought you should let them know.

[Gene Weitzel]

Comparing bees to dolphins is indeed a PETA type attitude. They are two completely different things. I am beginning to understand why many wanted this particular forum to be limited to commercial beekeepers and sideliners only when discussions were taking place about creating a Commercial/Pollination forum.

[oldenglish]

There appears to be enough "sniping" going on already so I am just going to say,
"doing the wrong thing even for the right reasons can still get you in a lot of trouble".

[devdog108]

Sorry for being profane and upset Barry....my apologies...

[Gene Weitzel]

If being concerned that someone like myself who derives part of my income from my beekeeping activities could suffer this type of unwanted, unwarranted and probably illegal intrusion into my business and have many on this board approve of it is "sniping" then color me guilty.

From where I stand, I can't let any encouragement of this type of behavior go unanswered, regardless of how "well intentioned" some may consider this behavior.

[loggermike]

Since the OP said they were right by his house, I assume he is close enough to observe them without actually trespassing.
In my case ,I would appreciate a call about hives tipped over,or some danger facing them(like a bear in the yard, or a cropduster dumped right on the yard)
But I too would resent a call from someone who opened my hives , and I would NOT be very pleasant to talk to ! That crosses the line .I also dont appreciate people snooping around my hives when they clearly have no business being in the beeyard. This happens from time to time, and I also have a comb or two of honey stolen occasionally. So, there is a line between concern and just being nosy.

[oldenglish]

If being concerned that someone like myself who derives part of my income from my beekeeping activities could suffer this type of unwanted, unwarranted and probably illegal intrusion into my business and have many on this board approve of it is "sniping" then color me guilty.

From where I stand, I can't let any encouragement of this type of behavior go unanswered, regardless of how "well intentioned" some may consider this behavior.

By my using the term "sniping" I was just trying to convey that the comments were getting a little personal (my opinion only) I fully agree with many that if they are not your hives or you dont have permission then hands off, even if you think you are doing someone a favor.
This last week I was asked to inspect some deadout equipment in someones backyard, A single hive (4 deeps) placed about 5 years ago and no sign of the owner since. The land owner has been unable to get a hold of the beekeeper and she wanted advice. I told her what needed to be done to once again have bees in the hive, she was concerned about what if the beekeeper just showed up one day. I told her that if that happened they should move the bees to a new box, give him his old equipment back plus charge him for the paint used to keep the stuff in reasonable shape. I have also been told by others that after this amount of time the gear is forfeit.

[Gene Weitzel]

...... I have also been told by others that after this amount of time the gear is forfeit.

Better check the regulations concerning abandoned hives for your state. In Texas, the Office of the Chief Apiary Inspector is the only one with the power to order the seizure and sale of abandon hives. They also are the ones who determine if the hives are in fact "abandon". They must either notify the owner via certified mail, or if they can't find them, they must publish notification of the intent to seize for 5 consecutive days in a local publication. In addition, if they do seize and sell them, they are required to advance the proceeds to the owner of the bees and or equipment sold less the cost of the sale. Again if the owner cannot be located the funds are turned over to the state and placed in the state's unclaimed property fund.

In our state, there is no justification for any private citizen to seize or use the property of a beekeeper, even if it is considered abandon. Doing so is a violation of the law and will subject that person to criminal prosecution. There is legal recognition that an agreement exists between the beekeeper and the landowner (verbal or otherwise) and it also appears that this agreement by default has limited survival when the land ownership changes. Unless you have it in writing, the fact that the land owner or his heirs/assigns has lost contact with the beekeeper does not give them the right to appropriate his property. Absent any written agreement to the contrary, their single avenue of recourse lies with the Office of the Chief Apiary Inspector. Our laws contain fairly strong protection of chattel property rights at least as far as beekeepers are concerned.

[oldenglish]

You have to love Washington State, they still want us to pay to register hives, but they got rid of the Apiary Inspectors office years ago.

[EastSideBuzz]

You have to love Washington State, they still want us to pay to register hives, but they got rid of the Apiary Inspectors office years ago.

Yea but, the fee is pretty nominal. I paid a 15 cent fine last year for registering late. I think I paid $10.15. Lets not complain without knocking on wood. Or Greg-u-r-a-lousy-governor will figure out a way to charge us more if she figures it out.:shhhh:

[Gene Weitzel]

You have to love Washington State, they still want us to pay to register hives, but they got rid of the Apiary Inspectors office years ago.

They would have to re-write a big chunk of the Texas Agricultural Code to eliminate that office here. And since the Office of the Chief Apiary Inspector is very tightly aligned with Texas A & M University, I doubt that the political will to do it will materialize anytime soon.

If you have not done it already, you may still want to check out your state's Ag Code for procedures on the legal disposition of abandon hives.

[peacekeeperapiaries]

Gene is right the hobbyist beepkeeper who has a newly painted box with a beautiful metal flashing covering the lid might look at a commercial guys beeyard and see multi-colored and weathered boxes sitting on pallets near the ground and think "thats not how I keep my bees, those da*n commercial guy just don't care". I'm not making excuses for those few beeks who don't care, but as Gene points out, time will cull the POOR commercial beekeepers. It was also pointed out when your keeping track of hundreds or thousands of hives, everyonce in a while a few might accidentally be forgotten.
As a full time law enforcement officer and a commercial beek, I'd better not catch anyone opening my hives, or lurking around my yards. My hives are just as healthy as yours (if not more so) but they just might not be as pretty as the ONE you have in your back yard.
If your concerned CALL but don't touch, if you want them you HAD BETTER get permission from someone of authority, and most of the time its better to leave your nose out of someone elses business unless your ASKED to address a problem.

[Josh Carmack]

I don't use deeps so I don't know the price off the top of my head, but $12 for deeps seems kind of high. Specially for a bulk order.

I'm not buying bulk (unless you consider 10 or 20 boxes to be a bulk order) - and that's the total price. No shipping costs on top of that.

I can't build boxes with free rough cut lumber for that, when I factor in my labor/time costs.



I sell mine for 10$ assembled in units of ten or more. Shipping is on top of that though

[NasalSponge]

Oklahoma law.

35:30-38-9. Abandoned apiaries
(a) Any abandoned apiary may be confiscated by the Department.
(b) Prior to confiscation of the abandoned apiary, the Department shall take reasonable steps to locate the owner.
(1) The owner, lessee, or renter of the land where the apiary is discovered shall be notified.
(2) The local beekeeping organization shall be notified and given sixty (60) days to locate the owner.
(3) A notice of confiscation shall be placed at the apiary one hundred and eighty (180) days prior to confiscation.
(c) If the Department is unable to locate the owner upon completion of the above steps, it shall
destroy the apiary or donate the apiary to an appropriate research facility.

B. All abandoned apiaries observed or captured in counties where Africanized honeybees have
been detected shall be destroyed.

[oldenglish]

As far as I can tell Washington state gutted their RCW back in 2000 when they did away with the Apiary Inspector. The old RCW had provisions for abandoned hives but not the new one, in fact the new RCW just creates an advisory board, makes it a midemeanor to not register hives and allows the board to spend the money collected without the need to purchase anything.

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=15.60

RCW Sections
15.60.005 Definitions.
15.60.010 Apiary advisory committee.
15.60.021 Registration of hives.
15.60.031 Late registration fee.
15.60.040 Money collected under chapter -- Placement -- Disbursement.
15.60.055 Violations -- Penalty.
15.60.065 Apiary coordinated areas -- Hearing to establish.
15.60.075 Apiary coordinated areas -- Order describing.
15.60.085 Apiary coordinated areas -- Boundary change procedure.
15.60.095 Apiary coordinated areas within certain counties.
15.60.900 Severability -- 1977 ex.s. c 362.
15.60.901 Effective date -- 2000 c 100.

Democratic goverment at its very best.

[Birdman]

What has been done about the bees. give me there phone number I'll call

[terri lynn]

They are two completely different things. I am beginning to understand why many wanted this particular forum to be limited to commercial beekeepers and sideliners only when discussions were taking place about creating a Commercial/Pollination forum.

I'm glad it is opened to everyone. I'm on my way to becoming a sideliner, and frankly, the information I've gotten on this forum -including that of Gene Wetizel - surpasses by far anything else I've found. It's very helpful for even a hobbyist, even though there are obvious differences in operations. So, I hope you don't continue to feel this way and that was a response to just this thread. I think those kinds of differences and frustration can occur on any of the forum areas.

And while I kinda do feel like my bees are pets to some extent (and hate to squash them :pinch: or see any creature suffer) and keep mine painted and 'pretty' (partly because of the yard locations, partly for me), it helps to keep perspective and to realize these are insects that live around 45 days. And if ANYONE came onto my property without my permission I would be livid. The same goes for anyone messing with my hives, whether on my property or in yards with owner agreement. Their neighbors' opening my hives? :no: Though I don't believe it was actually established if the hives were opened or not. Regardless a phone call is fine - even helpful, anything else is not imo. To me that's the simple, practical solution. I don't know why anyone would consider anything else without trying it first. Has the owner ever been called?

[bigbearomaha]

while I am not condoning illegal intrusion or other illegal behavior on anyone's part, for those who feel that people should just butt out and not pay heed to what is plainly visible on neighboring property, I am certain you would agree that those commercial animal breeders such as dog and horse breeders who have turned up in the news several times for downright starvation and abuse of those animals would agree that the nosy folks should just mind their own business.

However, I would bet at the same time, those animals found still still living and able to be treated back to health are certainly glad someone was worried about them.

Bees may be "only' insects to some folks and some folks may take the attitude that no other life on earth is as 'valuable' as human life, it is still within everyones responsibility to be responsible for all the lives they are entrusted with, animal, insect or otherwise.

You should be glad someone cares enough for the colonies well being to take a peek in on them, if they are responsible and do call the landowner or keeper, you may have them to thank for giving you necessary information that helped you save those lives and your investment.

Again, if folks are just scraping around trying to see what they can get away with, lock and load.

Big Bear

[terri lynn]

I agree with you Big Bear, and I value all life. I even take spiders outside and release them, and am often given a hard time for having too much compassion towards 'non-human' life. And I love my bees and tend to baby them and can't stand having to get rid of a queen. Frankly, I would be fine if someone even called the police if they suspected anything was suffering on my farm. I'm still against the trespassing, however. If they see anything they can call me or the authorities. However, when they come onto my property, in addition to the trespassing, there are liable issues should they get hurt. And if they open my hives elsewhere, I would assume the same thing. If they were stung and had to go to the hospital, they'd probably blame (and sue) me.

Not to mention, who's to know what some stranger is actually doing in your hives? The starter of the thread obviously had good intentions, but you can't assume that of everyone, or that the person even knows anything about bees. I've heard many tales of people stealing the bees & honey inside, and unfortunately, some people just do things for meanness. Like put poison in a hive, vandalize, etc. I want to know everything that's been put inside my hive, so I can better manage it. Of course, I check my hives often enough to try to avoid problems. Anyway, for these reasons, I still think someone that sees a problem should call first, before doing anything else. Even if it were a dog or other pet, you'd probably call the authorities or someone before breaking into someone's house to help it.

[bigbearomaha]

You are right, I am not implying they should literally 'peek in on them'. But when someone sees some hives that have been seemingly unattended in very poor condition, etc.. which is noticeable from a distance, perhaps a call is in order. As some have said, sometimes in all the hustle and bustle, hives can be 'misplaced' especially if the hire help doesn't do a good job of documenting the locations they dropped them in.

Big Bear

[soupcan]

Big Bear, how many years have you kept bees or been a beekeeper?

[bigbearomaha]

Is this a contest? I win? I never win anything.

I'd like to thank the academy ...sorry.

I have been an "assistant" bee keeper to a honey producer beekeeper in southeast IA for about a year and a half, give or take.

He retired some time ago and I am now on my own bee handling adventure to have my own conservation oriented apiary, coming this spring.

Do I at least get a door prize?

Big Bear

[soupcan]

No sorry.
No door prize ever offered.
Just some simple question at best.
My son & I always agree,
please come spend a few days in the bees with us & see just how bad of people we really are.
If we kept bees today as we did 30 plus years ago when I started in the business I would not be in business to write about it.

[bigbearomaha]

you will recall, that I personally never expressed any problem with commercial beekeepers.

I only tossed in my two cents that just because someone is concerned about bees they see isn't automatically a criminal.

The world of bees and bee keeping requires a variety of people involved in a number of ways because no one can do it all. there is room for the commercial pollenator/honey producer just as there is room for the hobbyist or conservationist.
each has there own niche to fill.

I happen to agree that not all commercial beekeepers are 'bad guys' I used to help one, he was a very good guy.

Big Bear