Hive "ownership"

[CabrachCaveman]

Hi all not sure where to post this, feel free to move it to the relevant section.

Near to me is a trailer that has been sat there for about 5 years with 4 hives, and a nuc on it. Neither the game keepers that live over the road from the trailer, nor myself have ever seen anyone working the bees. A year ago, I went in suited up to upright the nuc that had been toppled by the storms a few weeks earlier. While there, I found a name one of the hives, so searched him on Facebook, found him and contacted him about whether they were his and the possibility of him parting with them. He said he was open to a conversation. This year, only one of the hives are showing any signs of activity, and that has a gap at the top where a super has moved when someone ground workers shifted the trailer to get a digger past.

My question is. What would be a reasonable price for the colony. I have no interest in the hardware, as I am on smiths, and these hives are in an appalling state anyway. Or do I at some point just take the bees to save them?

Sheesh, that was longer than I expected.

 

[enrico]

Hi all not sure where to post this, feel free to move it to the relevant section.

Near to me is a trailer that has been sat there for about 5 years with 4 hives, and a nuc on it. Neither the game keepers that live over the road from the trailer, nor myself have ever seen anyone working the bees. A year ago, I went in suited up to upright the nuc that had been toppled by the storms a few weeks earlier. While there, I found a name one of the hives, so searched him on Facebook, found him and contacted him about whether they were his and the possibility of him parting with them. He said he was open to a conversation. This year, only one of the hives are showing any signs of activity, and that has a gap at the top where a super has moved when someone ground workers shifted the trailer to get a digger past.

My question is. What would be a reasonable price for the colony. I have no interest in the hardware, as I am on smiths, and these hives are in an appalling state anyway. Or do I at some point just take the bees to save them?

Sheesh, that was longer than I expected.

I would suggest you contact the keeper again and say the bees are just dying out is he happy for you to take the bees and leave the kit. Or offer him a nominal amount and sell the kit for that amount. Not sure I would want the bees without a good health check.

 

[ericbeaumont]

reasonable price for the colony

Nothing: disease status unknown, so risky. If you do want them and the owner agrees to 'sell', ask the SBI to inspect an abandoned colony. The NBU is not there to give a pre-sale health check, but to be aware of the apiary, check for disease and log the abandonment.

He said he was open to a conversation

Sounds like he's lost interest but is unwilling to acknowledge it.

 

[hemo]

Legally one can't just help themsleves to the bees as they have an owner.

 

[ericbeaumont]

do I at some point just take the bees to save them?

As Hemo's advice suggests: no.

 

[Newbeeneil]

I would put a bait hive in the locality.

 

[Anduril]

Use the SBI, take photos of the hives and their occupancy and show the owner, then have a conversation.

 

[ericbeaumont]

He said he was open to a conversation.

Did you have a conversation? What came of it?

 

[oxnatbees]

"do I at some point just take the bees to save them?"

If you search this forum for the word "theft" you will see the universal reaction to this action.

 

[SixFooter]

I got into trouble after being asked to remove some abandoned bees from an allotment because the beekeeper had just been ill for a while and, on the other side of the coin, another beekeeper messed about with some of my colonies and did some damage after he was told I had abandoned them. I hadn't and I took them away soon after.

So should we both have got the SBI to come out?

 

[Anduril]

So should we both have got the SBI to come out?

The difference is that the original owner has been approached and is open to a conversation. Let that run its course and move forward from there. There was a UK beekeeper on YouTube who had found abandoned beehives and had filmed them, but later took those videos down and concentrated more on his gardening.

 

[ericbeaumont]

should we both have got the SBI to come out?

In relation to risk of disease, yes.