Hi All
 
Well, reading about bee alarms etc, and myself living in one of the
crime capitals of the world I feel I should comments.
 
A number of useful things exist to deter would be bee thieves.
 
A spotlight - bees can fly at night and attack if a spotlight is
placed near the hives - I have some hives on a field near here that
are difficult to move at night even because they can attack because
of the light.
 
A capsule of alarm pheremone - isopentyl acetate (I
think) although the isoamyl acetate we use for electron microscopy
works OK placed in a hole drilled in the lid works ok - I have tested
the idea, but never implemented it for fear of legal implications. -
basically - somebody lifts the lid, breaks the capsule and the bees
go balistic. The beekeeper however knows to lift the lid straight up.
 
Strong hives - a strong hive protects itself (well here they do). A
good bee beard halfway up the front of the hive makes moving, both by
a thief and by oneself to be a painfull and horrible experience.
 
 
Keep well
 
Garth
Garth Cambray           Camdini Apiaries
15 Park Road
Grahamstown             Apis mellifera capensis
6139 South Africa
 
Time = Honey