RFID tags

[birchdale]

Has anyone put RFID tags in their hives?

If so, where is the cheapest source?

What are your experiences of using them?

Thanks

 

[AnotherNewBee]

My first thought would be using a 'Tagged Hive' label as a deterrent. If the hive is actually tagged, the problem would then be convincing the police to scan suspicious hives for actual tags, even if the 'Tagged Hive' label has been removed.

 

[alanf]

How were you thinking of using them?

For identifying/recording of your own hives something like a keyfob system could do the trick. Most of the simple key fob systems only allow you to record a number of fobs or cards on a reader; they all get entry but don't record which one was used. You might need more than a basic reader if you wanted to record specific id numbers, and you would need to think about how to retrieve and use it.

Barcoding systems read on a smart phone might be more portable.

Or, given where it's placed, is this a theft related idea? When identifying recovered stolen property, police would be more likely to look for marked phone numbers or postcodes to identify an owner. Even if we knew there was a tag and tried all the possible rfid frequencies and schemes, all an RFID tag reveals is a serial number.

 

[AnotherNewBee]

Even if we knew there was a tag and tried all the possible rfid frequencies and schemes, all an RFID tag reveals is a serial number.

Some sort of registration scheme might be needed, or the owner could simply pass on the serial numbers of the stolen equipment to the police when reporting the theft. Cooperation would be needed to ensure that the police can read the tags with the equipment they (I assume) have available to them.

Obviously, a lot of up-front work needs to be done to ensure actual (as opposed to just labelling) hive tagging is any use at all.

If the hives are near lived in property it might even just be worthwhile putting motion sensor alarms, loud enough to wake the neighbours, in them.

 

[AnotherNewBee]

I have contacted my local crimewatch officer to see if, from his point of view, there is a practical way forward.

 

[birchdale]

How were you thinking of using them?

Or, given where it's placed, is this a theft related idea? When identifying recovered stolen property, police would be more likely to look for marked phone numbers or postcodes to identify an owner. Even if we knew there was a tag and tried all the possible rfid frequencies and schemes, all an RFID tag reveals is a serial number.

Theft related. I've considered branding but have come to the conclusion that the frames will be put into a new brood box and the redundant box will be firewood.
So, just considering other options.

 

[alanf]

Theft related. I've considered branding but have come to the conclusion that the frames will be put into a new brood box and the redundant box will be firewood.
So, just considering other options.

If the thief or eventual receiver doesn't care that a hive is stolen, it's not a deterrent to theft. Otherwise there are two basic reasons to mark or tag anything, one is to identify property when it is recovered, the other is a deterrent making the hive harder to sell.

If a branded box would be discarded, the seller is going to some effort and a tag is easily removed, the RFID tag would have to be concealed. That tag is only useful as evidence for property recovery, in which case any concealed marking would do and a phone number or postcode has the advantage that it's immediately understandable and cheap.

Others have suggested marking each frame, branding or a spirit marker pen would do. It's laborious but even harder to remove all trace. So much so that it makes any thought of selling the hive on and appearing legitimate difficult to imagine. Any marking has a deterrent effect; the more marking, the greater deterrent, and marks are a lot cheaper than any RFID tags.

 

[susbees]

We just had a thread....search RFID (except it might be too short....)....

 

[birchdale]

We just had a thread....search RFID (except it might be too short....)....

The only thread about RFID I can find is about RFID Queen marking, although there are a few posts about woodwork.

I am really interested in a response from someone who has RFID's in their hive woodwork already and their thoughts and experiences.

 

[ianhoman]

Whilst the tags are cheap the reader is expensive. Also it would require everybody to have a reader & central database of stolen tags. Since the tags are easy to find & remove I cant see this working.