# Bears Hit My Hive!



## MountainCamp (Apr 12, 2002)

wait till tomorrow when they are flying and active. Not too late in the morning, but as soon as they are flying and active.
If you try and do it while it is dark, they will crawl and find all kinds of ways to thank you for helping them right their home.


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## Aram (May 9, 2006)

Don't know about righting the hive but do know that the bears will very likely hit again. And again... as long as they can smell honey. The fence alone might not stop them tomorrow. I would definitely bait the fence (bacon strips?) and even wait at the same time tomorrow to see if they return. I've run off black bears before (chicken coop raid) but would think twice about challenging a momma with cubs. Contact your game warden in any case. In my area the game warden chases after them with pepper spray. Does it work? I don't know.


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## sierrabees (Jul 7, 2006)

If you have another location available a considerable distance away, I would advise moving all the hives to a new location tomorrow before they start to fly. Once a bear learns what is in those little boxes they can rip Fort Knox apart to get to it and will. I have known of them to literally tear the wall down in a cabin to get to a refrigerator that was empty, just because they have been rewarded in the past by finding food in such containers. I lost the four strongest out of six hives in one location last year because that bear had raided a yard about 1 1/2 mile away and liked what he found there. The ones I lost were inside an electrified 1/2 inch stock panel enclosure with 9.9 thousand volts on it. Two of the stock panels were unsalvagable but what was left of the fence still had 3.5 thousand volts to ground even with the other panels laying down, so I know the charger was working.

That yard won't be a safe place for bees now until someone kills that particular bear.


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## dmacmtb (Jan 9, 2008)

*Thanks*

Thanks for the info.

I waited till this morning. They weren't happy with me but wasn't as painful as the attempt last night.

The immediate damage is not too significant... The frames of one super are butchered. The body & other 4 supers are fine and back in place.

I guess I have to steel myself for a long term battle with the bears. I left my big dog out on the porch last night and he fussed and hollered several times with great ferociousness - shades of "Travels with Charley" by Steinbech - so I assume they were hoping to come back for seconds. The fence is now on permanently - the dogs will just have to learn how to live with it the hard way.

My afternoon will be spent looking for ways to further enhance security - moving them all is not a short term option for me.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

This from Colorado State on Managing Bear Damage. I will link the url at the end.

"Once a bear develops a taste for honey and bee brood, it will likely
continue to raid beeyards and methods to dissuade it become less effective."

http://209.85.215.104/search?q=cach...rado+bears+bee+hives&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us

I have to find it, but I think here in Colorado there is a two strike law for bears and a bee keeper can destroy the bear in coordination with DOW.

I will try and find it.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

*FYI for those in Colorado*

Assistance

Colorado Division of Wildlife provides monetary compensation for black bear damage as well as funding for prevention. They prefer to fund prevention rather than compensation. For more information, contact a regional CDOW office:

dmac, you may want to check with your State and see if they have a similar program. Can't hurt.


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## Cold Bees (May 18, 2007)

*Colorado Bears*

Alpha6 and others 

This guy has an interesting approach that I hope is really working, in case I ever need to upgrade beyond my electrobraid and wood post fence:

http://www.beebehavior.com/bee_yard_protection.php

My own thoughts:

I was hit by a bear last year in Colorado, on the Front Range. What I discovered is that everything you mention is correct here, including the 2 strikes rule. The DOW bent over backwards to help, though I only had a single hive, and so there was little monies damage to discuss. They may say they focus on prevention, but they do not expect to pay for your electric fence, at least not for a small hobbyist. But that only makes sense. But I did know beter, and I had the fence on order, just did not expect the bear to hit so early.

Incidentally, the fence worked, when the bees recovered, and had as much brood, honey and nectar stored back up, the bear raided the trash in my garage which was open accidentally one night, but never hit the bees again that summer or fall.

I do not know about the kill the bear rule, though I do know other beekeepers on the front range that the DOW gave a shotgun and rubber shot to for this purpose. The DOW tags a bear after bad behavior once, and hauls it away to Trinidad for slaughter on second offense. I know, I watched a lot of bears in the front range, too bad, gorgeous animals...

BUT, what I discovered reading around is that the issue comes up all the time here on Beesource from all over, and that the rules and what deterrents work, what deterrents are recommended by each state or Canadian province, etc, are very, very different. 

You can search for old threads about this, it is an endless topic.

It seems to me, for example, if you compare the Pennsylvania and New York state recommended electric fencing to the Colorado electric fencing, that the North East states expect the bear to keep trying to return and you have to put up essentially a metal fortress. Colorado recommends more of a wood post, ranch style, fence system, more of a deterent, where the bear might just look for easier prey. So it would seem. East Coast states demand you actually bait the fence to train the bear, never heard of it out here, etc, etc. Huge flame wars develop...


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

*Bear Dog*

Great info Cold Bees...what a set up that guy has. 

I have yet to suffer a bear attack, even though we have lots in my area. My first line of defense is my Karelian Bear Dog. I originally got this so that when my kids were out in the yard they had some protection in case a bear or mountain lion came wondering around. 

My bee yard is within site of his kennel and when a bear comes sniffing around (we have had two this year already) I just cut him out and let him do his natural thing. It is like a ballet to watch him work a bear. He doesn't attack it, just runs it in circles, jumping six feet into the air making the bear twirl and become disoriented. When the bear finally starts to run, it chases it for about 1/2 mile down the mountain. I have yet to have one return after a dance.

Anyway, its an option for some people maybe. Great dog, not aggressive towards humans, fantastic with kids and smart as a whip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Bear_Dog

The only drawback is that it only works for the hives I keep at home...have to electric fence any out yards...

One thing to look for in an electric fence is the amount of joules it has. If it doesn't list them, it won't have juice to do the job. Anything over 2 joules should be enough to really kick a bear.


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## arthur (Apr 6, 2008)

Is there a two strike rule against Humans who raid your hives?


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Depends if you have to re-load.


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## Jeffzhear (Dec 2, 2006)

alpha6 said:


> Depends if you have to re-load.


Made me laugh! Thanks for the joke!


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## Ted (Feb 20, 2000)

*Bears*

Here in Northern New York I have found the only way to get rid of the unwanted dinner guest's is to , get rid of the guest!!!! 
they will return until the buffet is gone , then leave you with the dirty dishes!!!! get rid of the problem


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Sounds like my in-laws...


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## Cold Bees (May 18, 2007)

*bears and dogs*

Yep,

Dogs are phenomenal, also, bears and dogs, believe it or not, are very distant but related species. One thing both of them share is that they can sense electric charge, and they avoid electric fences typically.

We once lived in a neighborhood full of bears, because people would inadvertently bait them by putting their trash out the night before, unfortuanately. Wed night in the summer was bear party night, so I got to watch alot of bear / human interaction, bear / dog interaction.

One thing to note, my old dog Tootsie was exactly like you describe your dog with bears, and bears would rather skip the hassle, and get up a tree or otherwise scram than deal with a barking dog exposing them. But one hot summer afternoon a momma bear was hungry and foraging. Tottsie never missed a chance to chase bears, and she out towards her like always. But this bear has babies to feed, and she was hungry herself.

After the bear stood her ground and whipped out her slashing paw, Tootsie backed up for the first time ever, unfortuanately, right into a chokecherry bush patch. The bear slashed again, and it was ll Tootsie could do to rear back, the bear missed by inches, and I called out, the bear roared at me, and Tootsie took off, the bear just glared at us, turned, and continued to forage. Tootsie let her be. So be careful! The bear was probably keeping her ground because her cubs (2 of them), were hiding near by.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Electric fences do work. Nice vid with grizz

http://www.nols.edu/resources/research/movies/bearfence_xl.shtml


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## Cold Bees (May 18, 2007)

*dmacmtb and running the dogs and the in-laws*

dmacmtb,

Re-read this thread today, noticed it all started cause you had to walk the dogs. I noticed that my dog and her dog friends never ever seem to touch the electric fence, btw, without any training. Except for the neighbor's old male lab who was never allowed to run around much, so never got much common sense. I wonder if others can comment on whether it is their experience that dogs avoid electric fences, or am I just lucky so far?

Also, I read in the new economics book, "Predictably Irrational", the best way to alienate those in-laws is to ask then "How much do we owe you for the food", the next time they have you over for a holiday meal!


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

On the in-law thing I found that if you start un wrapping a sandwich at the table and say, "If you don't mind I bought a sandwich. The last time I ate here I got the s....ts so bad I was in the outhouse for hours." So far I don't know anyone who has been invited back.


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## France (Apr 5, 2007)

I actually read somewhere that animals sense the electricity around them? So I would suppose that they know that there is juice in that particular fence..?
I would also think that farm animals that are behind such fence know for sure what is all about?!
As with dogs I would have to hazard a guess that some are just smarter than others. Our little dog sure stays away from the fence, but this one time when I was at my summer house alone with the dog, (she is my wife's) that when I came back from our walk with her and released her off a leash, she promptly went through the fence just to pi.. me off. Luckily she never touched the +wire as she went. . . . (than of course - she could have sniffed a trail of some wild critter that went the same route? It would have to bee a small one to squeeze between a span of 6 inches. Could had been a snowshoe hare after the clover in the yard?)

Now, here we are more concerned about wild creatures when talking bees? Here I have much more experience, if I can coin it so? cause on a few occasions I had raised a bear that lost his/her momma and they successfully overwintered and in spring went their own way.
As You all probably know by now, my bees are in total wilderness and moose, deer, bears and such, pas by my yard daily. I have noticed that especialy moose and deer avoid the area completely, although I often see them adjacent to the bee yard.

Bears are something else all together. I know for a fact that they got it on numerous occasions as they stuck their nose through the fence. Now they, or the same one come in regular intervals and stay about 15 feet away from the fence and sniff the air. . ? !
It should also be noted that I do not, nor do I believe in baiting the fence. Knowing bears pretty well, I have no intention to call and invite them to tackle my fence for no reason - other than - that there is a piece of beacon or a spoonful of peanut butter that has drawn them there from a few miles away and now they have got a dilemma - they either try it or walk away? A tough choice for a bear. Even thousand times tougher if it is a hungry bear?!

I am of opinion that in my case they, bears, are waiting for a day when the battery will be dead and than it will be their time for revenge.


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