Beesource Beekeeping Forums banner

Hives stolen looking for help

45K views 137 replies 44 participants last post by  Acebird 
#1 ·
I had 100+ double stolen this past week in Hinds and Rankin counties Mississippi. They are tan and white boxes with black BSH spray painted on the sides. The lids and and pallets are branded the same. If anyone in that area saw them or knows anything they can PM me or call Randy Chattam with the Rankin county sheriff office. 601-824-7110
This is basically a complete loss of my operation and any help would be great.
 
#4 ·
In my country around a year or so ago, following a lot of hive thefts in a particular area, local beeks got together and were eventually able to identify the thieves. They were running what amounted to a bee "chop shop", where they transferred the frames and bees to new boxes, and burned the supers the hives had been in at the time they stole them.

It was big news and was on the TV.
 
#7 ·
Bummer.
If I were a commercial beek, I would sure invest in an anti-theft GPS tracker for one of the hives in my apiary. Something like this: http://www.gpstrackingkey.com/Anti_Theft_Devices.html

I believe there are even services that will send you an alert if the item is moved, so you could notify the police before the hives go to a chop shop.
 
#9 ·
I'm so sorry to hear about your loss of hives to thieves, everytime something like this happens it pretty much makes me sick, I know you must be devastated. I know its just material things, and they can be replaced if they are never found, but its just disgusting that someone would steal someone else's bees, I mean how desperate can you be, and what kind of persons do these things, I would surely like to know, hopefully they find out soon. John
 
#15 ·
Yea... why does your profile say Arizona? Do you live in Mississippi near where these hives were? I am in Hinds county... will assist you any way I can... but I dont know too many beekeepers around here... maybe a couple... and they are not the type.
Hope they will catch the people who did this....
 
#17 · (Edited)
I don't know anything about your hives going missing but I do remember last year when I picked some nucs at what was supposed to be Russell apiaries farm seeing a bunch of boxes with bsh painted on the sides of them. Where these boxes put there by you and taken from there. I picked up my nucs in June in Brandon ms which is rankin county I think. And I do remember seeing the bsh.
Major
 
#50 ·
Well here's a link to a newspaper article on this event. There was also a thing on TV that showed more, including a large shed stacked with new empty boxes, and not much else, presumably to transfer hives into, plus a pile of old boxes outside and the remains of burning.

The police weren't really equiped to catch the offenders, or find out whose hive was whose. Local beekeepers did that, and then handed the evidence to the police once investigations were complete.

Not mentioned in the paper was a dramatic scene, where the perpetrators, once they realised they were discovered, made a desperate attempt to move truckloads of bees and equipment to a different location before the police would arrive. However the police got there and caught them in the middle of doing it.

It is a shame such scum actually exist in my country, but they did get their just deserts.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/loc...rs-go-to-police-after-finding-stolen-beehives
 
#21 ·
So you are saying that SOME of your bees that were stolen were AT Robert Russell's home???? HE was taking care of them there for you ... and now he has informed you that someone stole them from him??? Please tell us exactly what has happened here.... I REALLY do need to know.... MY bees are at risk also if what you are saying is true.... Tnks
 
#38 ·
So you are saying that SOME of your bees that were stolen were AT Robert Russell's home???? HE was taking care of them there for you ... and now he has informed you that someone stole them from him??? Please tell us exactly what has happened here
It seems to me that these questions need to be answered. Who reported them as stolen? Did the OP have to come back from Arizona to discover the loss.....or what?
 
#23 ·
Someone getting back at Russel for wrong doings and thought they were his hives.........or.........someone was short hives for a pollination contract in almonds and decided to plump up their shortfall.

Thieves suck. I hope it's minimal, or nothing at all, but I think a lot of hives might disappear during the almond fest this year, just a lot of shady people in CA as well.

It's pretty bad when an already hard working beekeeper has to spend more money and time on cameras and GPS to protect their business, just pure BS.
 
#27 ·
100 hives... you dont exactly take them to a pawn shop.

whoever stole them is going to keep them and use them. My guess is if they are smart enough to steal them in the first place, they have plans to swap boxes.

whats there to understand about stealing? I want what he has.... I either have to work my but off for it, or go take his. Kinda human nature if you ask me.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top