# Solar electric fencing



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

None exist... I have extensive experience with bears and electric fences over the years, all have failed. I am trying Primer electric netting this year. Also thought about using some sort of electronic motion sensing sound type deterrent.


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Other things you can try is getting a permit to shoot the offending bear, that is not always possible though... You can try re-educating the offending bear with non lethal rounds. Spread human hair around your hives, or build a Scare Bear (think scarecrow only resembling a much larger, dominate bear). Place the hives out of reach of a bear or allow local bear hunters run their dogs of your property in the summer season to keep the local bear population alert and cautious of dogs and humans.


----------



## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

IBZ, I live with bears. Do a search here for "electric bear fences" or search my earlier posts. My solar powered one is not cheap, but it is effective.

Regards,
Bear Creek Steve


----------



## Virginia Bee (May 20, 2010)

I agree...they do work but you must really crank up the power


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

IMO there is a difference between having bears in the area and having problem bears. You can live in bear territory and never have a hive touched with or without a fence. Or you can have a bear walking through the fence and destroying the hives. I have had the latter on several occasions. 

I retired the yard that I was using that had countless bear attacks several years ago and am trying again this year with an updated fence method. My advice is if you have a yard that you think will have problem bears and the only source of power is a solar fencer then don't use that yard. If you want to build a bear fence get a plug in fencer that is a weed zapper and can handle about 100 miles of fence.

It is a little amusing that when I took Bear Creek's advice and searched his threads about bear fences I found posts by him stating that he had to clean frames after a bear walked over them and advising that people put hives on roof tops out of reach of bears. His definition of "effective" and mine are very different  100 bears can avoid that fence, but it only takes 1 to decide to walk through it and destroy 20 hives in 5 minutes flat. For me a fence has to keep all bears out to be effective, I haven't found it yet.


----------



## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

For clarification: the solar powered electric bear fence as described around my apiary has been tested and proved 100% effective over the years. The storage shed for beekeeping equipment, which was not electrically protected, had a heavy hung sliding barn door which mama pulled out sufficently allowing entry for her two cubs. The cubs did stomp on frames etc. inside. Some summers I have had as many as five different bears around here. Another member of our club keeps her colonies on a flat topped shed roof with a nearby pine tree with the trunk sheathed in sheetmetal. 

Regards,
Bear Creek Steve


----------



## HEATHERnRye (Mar 29, 2010)

First thing to understand about bears.. there is no such thing as "Bear Proof" They are among the most mischievous and destructive forces on the planet. The mind of an 8 y/o and the strength of 15 grown men isn't a great mix for a beek to have to compete with.


----------



## JRH (Dec 30, 2010)

After several bear visits to my hives, I knew it was time to quit beekeeping or get an electric fence. The motion sensing noisemaker device only amused the bear while he feasted on honey and larvae. Since I was nowhere near AC power I thought I needed to buy a solar powered arrangement. First mistake because the BATTERY was tiny and the VOLTAGE was six instead of 12. It was a Zareba from Tractor Supply. I returned the first one I bought because I thought it was defective.

Wrong.

The second one was just the same. It lit up two lights only on the tester. OK for keeping rabbits out and cats in, but not for bears. Possibly this is the problem mentioned by previous posters - shock on the fence too weak. Lesson? Do not believe the label about "good for three or five miles of fence."

Solution? I got a BATTERY powered Zareba B5 that uses a good old 12 volt car battery for power and a voltage tester so I know when to recharge. That combination lights all five lights on the tester and keeps the bears at bay. Battery and "fencer" for $110 - that's less than most solar fencing chargers. It needs recharging overnight after about six weeks.

So I say don't bother with solar. Get one powered by a 12-volt battery. Works as well or better - less expensive.

And use two four-foot ground rods.


----------



## LBF (Mar 28, 2011)

JRH said:


> Solution? I got a BATTERY powered Zareba B5 that uses a good old 12 volt car battery for power and a voltage tester so I know when to recharge. That combination lights all five lights on the tester and keeps the bears at bay. Battery and "fencer" for $110 - that's less than most solar fencing chargers. It needs recharging overnight after about six weeks.
> 
> So I say don't bother with solar. Get one powered by a 12-volt battery. Works as well or better - less expensive.
> 
> And use two four-foot ground rods.


I have the same setup as you except I'm using a deepcycle battery to see if I can go longer between charges. Last year I used a little garden tractor battery which worked well. It actually zapped pretty well but I had to charge it every Sunday afternoon which got kind of time consuming. I think the grounding rods are important too. Mine are (2) 10-footers, sunk 9.5 feet into the water table. We had a young bear around last year but he never destroyed anything luckily. Skunks on the other hand were busy with my hive. Three low wires and three high wires is how I have mine set up. No more skunk problems now either.


----------



## Gord (Feb 8, 2011)

If you put a 15 watt solar panel in, it should keep the battery charged.
Some say that hanging strips of bacon on the fence helps educate the bears...it sets them up for a GOOD jolt, and one is enough to teach a bear.


----------



## sevenmmm (Mar 5, 2011)

Gord said:


> If you put a 15 watt solar panel in, it should keep the battery charged.


Right. You will also need a controller so as not to overcharge the battery. This might work: http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-5003...5Y/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1303866695&sr=8-13

I was told some electric fences could start a fire, but I am not sure of this. I am planning to install 9 gauge chain link fence with a galvanized pipe cemented into a cement slab. Going to chain link a roof over it too. We'll see if that keeps them out.


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Gord said:


> Some say that hanging strips of bacon on the fence helps educate the bears..


Check your local laws. Both states I have bees in this practice is illegal.


----------



## lakebilly (Aug 3, 2009)

In NY where I am, if you have a fenced in area & the bear attempts to break in you can shoot it. Lord help you if you *bother* any bear that disturbs your *unprotected* hives. Bacon or peanut butter on the wires is to get the bear to touch it with their tongue or nose. Their hair is very thick & jolts from almost anything will not affect them, the bacon/pb is a must. 
I had to move my bees in my back yard where we have bears, but my dog & cow fence seem to disuade them. Unlike my farm where they found the candy shop & keep coming back.
I am shocked to say I think that our laws here are probably appropriate, or their would be a bunch of dead bears/ smashed hives. You can defend your protected hives or not.


----------



## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Lakebilly: NY law was just changed in January, baiting a fence is illegal there as well. Also only a licensed wildlife control officer can destroy a nuisance wild animal. 

http://www.dec.ny.gov/permits/28635.html

http://www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/71580.html

People are going to do what they want until they get caught. I am of the belief that it is better to stay on the up and up. I will not risk a fine, jail time loss of hunting privileges, my guns, truck etc over a few hives. Plus I like to be legal because I have developed a good relationship with the wildlife officers in my area and they actually do a lot to protect my hives including putting them back together for me after an attack and making sure that the problem animal is taken care of once hunting season rolls around.


----------

