BURGLARS BEE-WARE

..Or a string of stings

 LIVING in London's red light district of Soho presented many challenges but while there was evidence of criminal activity down some streets - prostitution, pimping, drugs - we residents were rarely affected.
 Perhaps local villains operating on street level made it too difficult for outsiders to muscle in on someone else's crime patch but whatever the reason, as a local property owner I never felt threatened.
 Similarly since moving to the countryside I've felt safe and secure but a recent spate of thefts in the region has shaken me and the rest of the beekeeping fraternity to the core.

PRICELESS: The humble honeybee

 In nearly 40 years of journalism I've never come across spates of hive theft but now there's an outbreak and I don't believe it has anything to do with the economy, social welfare cuts or other nasty policies targetted at the poor who are struggling to put bread on the table.

PARTNERS IN CRIME? No, it's my daughter

Daisy and her friend Tom.

You see whoever is nicking beehives and the colonies of bees contained inside must be one of us! Think about it. Not even the most desperate thief would lift a beehive without first going in properly dressed and while the couple on the left look perfectly harmless this is what beehive burglars must look like just before a crime; well let's face it a swag bag, face mask and stripey jumper is not going to protect a thief from a disturbed hive of angry bees.
 And would your ordinary thief know how to handle a hive of angry bees, anyway?
 While hives are not cheap - brand new they can cost anything from £200 upwards - the real value is the humble  bee inside which has become almost priceless this year following a series of rotten winters.
 As regulars to this blog know, me and my other half have been immersed in beekeeping books, enrolled on beekeeping courses and are members of the Caddonfoot BKA. We've got our kit, our hive tools and even our hives and apiary. In fact we have everything a beekeeper could want ... apart from bees. They're like gold dust and I won't get my hands on my first colony of bees until July from a Scottish breeder known simply as The Beeman.
 While I was aware of the odd hive and colony of bees disappearing in the region, it was a large-scale theft at his place which really shook me. Below is what he wrote in his online magazine:
                 .........................................................................................................

   Watch Out There's Some Nasty Evil Dirty Robbing Bas***ds
Last weekend we had one of our aparies robbed 13 top bar hives were taken and to add insult a further 25 were smashed or comb removed wiping out that apary and if i ever find them I will not be nice!
The customers who have been affected by this have been informed and all I can say is sorry that your orders had to be changed or put on hold. So as I stated in the last newsletter keep you eye on your hives with the shortage of bees and last winters losses in the UK bees are like gold dust. It is most likly to be other beekeepers doing this as to do this they must have to be booted and suited and your average tea leaf would run a mile when moving and smashing hives!               .........................................................................................................

My Warre hive looks
impressive but the real
value is what's inside ... when
my bees arrive.

It seems there's an apian black market - not just in this country but across Europe because of last year's rotten winter and non-existent summer - and break-ins at bee farms and individual homes make me suspect the thieves have a good knowledge of bees and how to sell them on in large numbers. When you consider a new colony is worth around £200 because of the unprecedented shortage we are talking big bucks.
 A recent wave of disease and pestilence, exacerbated by farmers using pesticides hasn't helped the heroic little honey bee either.
 So if any of you have any idea how I can protect my colony of bees when they arrive next month please do let me know. And next time you see someone dressed like a beekeeper it wouldn't harm to ask them a few pertinent questions or even take down their car number just in case.
 I only hope my goose patrol can thwart any would-be thieves - it's one thing having to handle a hive of angry bees but quite another having an angry gander on your tail as well.