First of all you need to decide whether you want to prevent the thefts, or catch the villains - as different strategies are required for each. But of course they CAN be combined ...
Ever been out trapping ... ?
So - you lay out all of your hives (homemade, scruffy, Long Hives are good) - chained to ground anchors or chained together ... whatever it takes to make them appear a mega-hassle to steal.
But leave just the one hive - the newest, smartest, best looking one, and on the smaller size if possible (so easiest to lift) very obviously without any chains attached. That's the bait - the one which WILL be pinched. And of course, that's the one which has the GPS tracker inside.
LJ