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Omono
I get around this by just keeping crap trees.
Anti-theft devices
- Thread starter maxajax
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M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I have that sign.
It has a picture of a German Shepherd Dog on it.
Stormwater
Shohin
I think about this. The only good sun I get is in the front yard. So pre bonsai trees go there. They will be stolen, so good pots and trees are out of the question. Can’t really afford those anyways, nor a tall fence for the back yard. Just got to love the trees while I have them. Got a dog who likes to bark, but his hearing is going....kinda sad I’m addicted to this expensive hobby.
amatbrewer
Shohin
Not to be flippant, but it sounds to me like it is time to get another dog. The best way to make good dog, is to have them learn from a good dog, and there are plenty of future good dogs that need homes.
Stormwater
Shohin
don't tell my kids that...bonsai, fish, cat, dog, chickens and I've in the city. I don't need to adopt more things right now.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Guard chickens?
-norwegian_blue-
Yamadori
How about something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Trespassing-Active-Landmines-Aluminum-METAL/dp/B01GW73XWG
Cheaper than my pair of 110 pound bullmastiffs...which do a pretty good job of keeping things in line.
https://www.amazon.com/Trespassing-Active-Landmines-Aluminum-METAL/dp/B01GW73XWG
Cheaper than my pair of 110 pound bullmastiffs...which do a pretty good job of keeping things in line.
Coppersdad
Mame
Maybe a laser mesh system like in Entrapment? Or a pressure sensitive floor, Mission Impossible style? Possibly poison darts that shoot out of walls?
Seriously I thought about just running an electric fence wire (like for cattle) around the inside top edge of my fence. When someone grabs the top of the fence to climb over or whatever... Z-Z-Z-Z-T!!!
Not seriously. I can see any lawyers just rubbing their hands together at the thought of someone, even a certified bad guy, being shocked by your electric fence.
In our litigious society it's likely a thief who trips over one of my pots while on an uninvited tour of my patio would find a way to at least initiate a lawsuit.
Does everyone know what a "set gun" is?
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I love bull mastiffs.How about something like this?
https://www.amazon.com/Trespassing-Active-Landmines-Aluminum-METAL/dp/B01GW73XWG
Cheaper than my pair of 110 pound bullmastiffs...which do a pretty good job of keeping things in line.
It's a good thing people dont know their real nature.
Lovey babies.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
A friend asked if a tracking device could be placed in the pot...to be found if stolen. unsure if possible. But, we have discussed theft of bonsai in the past.
Stormwater
Shohin
Hilarious, I actually had this really mean rooster when I was a kid. It attacked the electric meter reader. We got a letter from the electric company saying something like we had to secrete the chicken or they would turn our electricity off. We had left him out in the hopes something would eat him. He ended up in the pot. Soup pot , not bonsai.
Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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My friend had a wonderful carnivorous plant collection that he'd been developing for over 40 years. Quiet guy, I was one of the few to ever see the inside of his greenhouse. He had some nice Nepenthes. Some ''kid'', late teens, maybe early 20's charmed himself into an invitation to tour his greenhouse. The ''kid'' bought maybe $50 worth of plants. Roughly 2 weeks later the ordinary household, front door type lock to his greenhouse was jimmied open. A Nepenthe raja was the only plant stolen he could tell. It was his 40 year old N raja, the one that finally had gotten large enough, old enough to make pitchers large enough to hold over a quart of liquid. A plant that size, and age was worth a lot, but even more so was just plain rare in a way that could not be valued. The thief had to know what they were looking for. My friend was devastated. As he was sure it was the ''kid'', as he knew I had no real interest in Nepenthes and the ''kid'' was the only person to visit the greenhouse in several years. Sadly, he decided that was it, within a year or two had sold off his collection and got out of plants entirely.
Point being, there are 2 types of thieves. The teenager that knows nothing, and is pulling a crime of opportunity, and won't know much if anything about what they are taking. These are easily stopped by simple locks on fence gates, lights, maybe a barking dog.
The second is the person who is in the hobby, knows what is what and is a compulsive collector or thief or both. These often are people who ''charm their way in'', get the tour, find out what you have that is good, and take it, either for themselves, or occasionally, to sell. When only the ''best stuff'' is taken, you know it is someone who was there before and you showed them where the best stuff was.
But I don't live paranoid. I have no dog anymore, used to, but now he is gone. My fences are half falling down. My gates don't lock. And I don't hide. If it happens, it happens. It is only ''stuff''. I try not to be stupid. My trees are not visible from the street or the alley out back. But other than having the trees not be visible I don't worry about it.
Point being, there are 2 types of thieves. The teenager that knows nothing, and is pulling a crime of opportunity, and won't know much if anything about what they are taking. These are easily stopped by simple locks on fence gates, lights, maybe a barking dog.
The second is the person who is in the hobby, knows what is what and is a compulsive collector or thief or both. These often are people who ''charm their way in'', get the tour, find out what you have that is good, and take it, either for themselves, or occasionally, to sell. When only the ''best stuff'' is taken, you know it is someone who was there before and you showed them where the best stuff was.
But I don't live paranoid. I have no dog anymore, used to, but now he is gone. My fences are half falling down. My gates don't lock. And I don't hide. If it happens, it happens. It is only ''stuff''. I try not to be stupid. My trees are not visible from the street or the alley out back. But other than having the trees not be visible I don't worry about it.
GGB
Masterpiece
Ok... at first i thought this was a joke... security for your trees.. but then thinking of the time/ money invested etc.. i could see why someone would want to secure... and ummmm you say about not broadcasting what you have to secure, but none of you thought twice of saying "oh i have this or that"... you wanna know what my security system is... Break in to find out... you will be wheeled out.
Coppersdad
Mame
For those who are lucky and live in a rural area, I remember from the farm, way back in the day, a bird that is a cousin of the chicken. They'd roost in the trees around the farm building at night. It was difficult to get them into a chicken house. Even though they were part wild, they were very loyal to the farmstead. Day or night, the flock would scream at the sight of a stranger or strange truck. The noise they made seemed to be more than two dogs barking.
They are called Guinea Fowl.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guineafowl
Stormwater
Shohin
Hehe, I’m thinking a good old fashioned bear trap
substratum
Shohin
We had a flock of 7 guineas when we lived in the rural farmlands. They are very entertaining to watch. We bought them as chicks, and did the brooder-to-box-to-pen, thing, and once they were big enough, would open the pen door each morning so they could pick and scratch, and they’d return to the pen to roost at dusk. Eventually, they quit roosting inside the pen, opting to roost on top of it. I’m told they are good to eat, and prolific breeders, but we sold ours before they reached that point.
Stormwater
Shohin
This thread has taken an insane.turn , sorry.
substratum
Shohin
Not really. Animals have been used for security for ages. I read somewhere that at some point in time, NATO used geese as sentries at some of their bases in Europe, because they would reliably sound the alarm if someone was on their turf. If you are going to consider using animals as part of your security, it's helpful to understand how they behave and what to expect. When we lived in the boonies, it was helpful having animals that sounded the alarm when something was amiss, whether it be a human, or more commonly - a four-footed and furry predator.
I'll add a bird species for consideration if you've got the acreage to have them. Peafowl. They also sound the alarm reliably.
