A number of years ago, I was down at Wilbanks in Georgia. Hard to remember, but I think it was Reggie (the son) who told me about a yard that had something like 20 hives missing one day. Reggie said he spent two or three days in a single prop plane searching for the hives. He found them on a river bank outside Savannah many miles from his place. (It must be nice to know most commercial guys and where most yards are located - :) ) I commented that he went to great lengths to get them back and his insurance could of easily covered the loss.
He said "When you allow it to happen once, and do nothing, it will continue to happen."
Contrast that to the guy I know who had 100 hives stolen a few years ago by a crook out of Ohio that was brokering pollination in California. (Some of you might know the details as this was discussed by many in the past) While visiting the beekeeper and discussing the theft, I asked what he was willing to do. Being Mennonite, he stated that he was not a judge or jury, nor did he now the personal problems of another and the cause of why someone did such a nasty deed. He stated that God would ultimately judge the individual and hoped that the person got "healed" from whatever afflicted him. Now I am not one to judge.....OK, yes I am...but it is hard for me to swallow knowing that when some are willing to turn the other cheek, that this will happen over and over again. I can respect his position that his religious convictions dictate they avoid litigation (and judging others) but I think in many ways, it just perpetuates the problem.
For me......I think my Louisville slugger bat might see a workout if I ever caught someone in my yards. ;)
Just a few observations from over the years.