So what can we put on the board, that when it is inside the hive will cause the bees to come out...

Maybe you should ask, :what can you put on the thieves to make the bees swarm? (don't they make a bee pheromone that attracts the bees?)

 

 

Easy one: Inside the hive, have a vibration sensor and a circuit that generates 30 KV at limited current, which is referenced to earth through a wire and a small ground rod. When the hive is jostled, the circuit lets loose with a jolt that will cause the interloper to drop the hive. The bees have such a high impedance to ground, they won't even notice the high voltage.

Such devices could be made for a few dollars each and sold for well under the mentioned $75 figure.

 

Naughty posters! It's against the rules to advocate knocking people on their keysters.

(I had to do something nice today. I've been having too much fun ragging on the Moderators.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Buddy-...ef=sr_1_7?s=gps&ie=UTF8&qid=1308520739&sr=1-7

I googled GPS trackers, they have some listed at $30.

 

All - thanks for the suggestions. I live about 1 mile away from the hives so a long wire is not practical! An alarm may act as a deterrant, but I won't hear it to be able to respond and fix any damage. Some beekeepers believe power lines affect the mood of bees, but there is certainly no consensus that mobile phone signals cause problems - however I do agree that you would not want a phone permanently on inside a hive.

So, from the responses it sounds like there is no such kit or blueprint to create a small SMS text alarm system?

 

You've just supplied new and crucial information. You need to send a distress signal at least one mile. Presumably there is no power nearby the hives either?

The specially-programmed-cellphone solution, where the phone turns on when a switch is thrown and automatically sends a distress message, is one solution but I'm not sure how you work that out with your carrier. What about old-fashioned CB radio? If the alarm came on and could be picked up by a base station, would that work, or do you need to get the alarm when you're out shopping or at the pub?