[caz]

The last 2 years running someone has chopped loads of holly from my 2 holly bushes in my field. I don't live on site so its hard to be able to catch people doing it. They are cutting my road side holly bush so thin that its at risk of not keeping the horses safe from the road if it carrys on.


Its not just someone taking it for personal use. They must be bringing a car or van as they are chopping loads of branches off it all in one go.
I've reported this latest theft to the police not that there's much they could do other than keep an eye on the area.
What can I do that will help stop this next time without putting the health of the holly at risk?

[Anke]

I am not sure what the law is if it is being taken from the roadside. Certainly I don't think anyone can take it for commercial enterprises. But it will be a local(ish) flower shop/Xmas tree seller or similar for making and selling wreaths.

[Womble]

A florist who lives down the road from us asked if they could trim our hedge for us last year, and we were only too happy to let them - but that didn't have any wider implications such as you mention.

Personally I'd put some signs up next year to ask them politely to go elsewhere.

Alternatively you could trim it yourself in November to a nice shape, but one that doesn't leave them enough to make taking more worth their while?

[Fleecewife]

Whoever is doing it perhaps does not see it as theft.  As land owners we do, but others just see stuff in the countryside as free for the taking, like blackberries 
I agree that a sign in place next year explaining the function of the trees in keeping your livestock safe, and that you have grown the trees to provide YOU with holly berries might work.  Also, note the date of their visit and start watching just before then next year in the hope you can catch them in the act.  It could be seen as a compliment - what lovely holly you grow.
It has happened to us in the past but we have now planted more holly away from the road and innaccessible to passers-by.

[Backinwellies]

maybe remove berries earlier in yr ?

[caz]

They are climbing fences to come into the field and cutting thick branches.
Yeah I suppose the only way to stop it is to cut back before they come. I've been trying to grow my hedges bigger and letting them flower and get berries to encourage more birds and wildlife but these people are obviously taking full advantage of that. My roadside holly Bush is around half the width it was a couple of years ago now  .
Will it have any negative effects on the holly if I cut it back so it doesn't have berries?

[doganjo]

An electric fence?  (with signs of course - or maybe even just the signs?)

[caz]

If they can't reach the bits they want they cut the whole branch off. I would love to catch them at it.

[arobwk]

I'm irritated by this thievery even though they are not my trees.

I would suggest coating the trees with some noxious, but non-toxic substance; animal manure maybe or a non-toxic dye/coating (latter in a non-Christmassy colour - e.g. black) before the "season".  If contamination of berry clusters is avoided, the birds etc won't be put off I would think.  (The trees will almost certainly benefit from a leaf-coating of animal manure/slurry.) 
Even forcefully lobbing a few whole cow-pats, a collection of sheep droppings or horse droppings into the trees might be sufficient deterrent aided by signage .. "These trees have been doused with ****** (e.g. cow s**t).  We wish you and your customers a smelly Christmas."

[Fleecewife]

     


Well done arobwk 

[arobwk]

I was perusing "Sci-News" web site and came across this article ... Eastern Honeybees Use Animal Feces to Protect Their Colonies from Giant Hornets

[Fleecewife]

I've found the culprit:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqg-FW2LUQk  about a minute in.  Apologies in advance for the language.