At 09:58 PM 9/12/97 -0400, you wrote:
>OK I just had a full healthy colony stolen...
>
>Normally I try to keep hives on farm property where you have to at least
>drive through a gate and past the owner's home to get to the beeyard. So I
>have never had any theft problems until now. What are other steps that I can
>use to discourage bee  rustlers? Is branding of equipment a deterent? One
>colony is not so bad, but how big is this problem nationwide anyway?
>
>Cesar Flores
>Colorado
>
One way to keep the them from being stolen is put a sign on them " WARNING
KILLER BEES " it keeps the honest people away. Hee Hee :)  Branding workes
good to. Sometimes nothing will keep a person determined to steal will work.