# Non-electric way to keep bears out?



## 10hive (Aug 28, 2008)

beepowers said:


> I'm taking bees to the NC mountains where there might be black bears. My host does not want an electric fence around the hives. I'm thinking of making a cage from rolls of 4' garden fence, steel fence posts and tall treated 4"x4"s. I would cover the top with fence as well. I could incorporate some barbwire, if it is known to be effective.
> 
> Will this hold out a bear?
> 
> Other than juice, what else can one do to secure the hives in such a structure and keep the bears at bay?


 you could try one of those portable dog kennels made from galvanized pipe and a chain link fence with a top,they can climb the fence easy and go in from the top,also stake it down so the don't tip it over. if they get a whiff of the honey, the barbed wire will not stop them if they're hungry. I know that i couldn't keep the bears out til I put in the ele fence, last yr, i even left the fence unpluged after we got a ft of snow thinking the bears had went to bed, the first week one stopped in and wiped out the hives.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Gunfire, a karilian bear dog in your bee yard....um that's about it. In the NC mountains there is no "might be black bears"...there ARE black bears. You would need to build a fence made out of something like hog or horse fence. Strong, no flexable panels...roles of garden fence, you are just wasting your time. But not sure if the owner understands that an electric fence is less intrusive than the bunker you are going to have to build. Plus it is an impulse fence, so safe for both humans and animals but will keep out the bears...trust me I had a bear just this morninig and it "bearly" touched the fence before running the other way...of course I cut out my karilian bear dog also since it was my home yard and last I saw he was still running as he crested the next ridge about 3/4 of a mile away.


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## Growing Boy (Jan 28, 2009)

Geez this is a tough one.
I've see bears rip the tops off of locked dumpsters.
If they want in they are going to get in.
They have all the time in the world.


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## PCM (Sep 18, 2007)

beepowers said:


> I'm thinking of making a cage from rolls of 4' garden fence, steel fence posts and tall treated 4"x4"s. I would cover the top with fence as well. I could incorporate some barbwire, if it is known to be effective.
> 
> Will this hold out a bear?


Time for a morning laugh !!

PCM


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## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

You could post an armed sentry . . . 24/7/365, with orders to shoot to kill. Though I don't know how legal that would be - probably not.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I doubt it. I've tried it and the bear hardly slowed down. I did try a couple of hives on wide pallets with fat, nylon straps going from the pallets....across the top of the hives...and back down to the pallet. It worked for a while. Apparently, the bear stood on the pallet and tried to push the hive over with limited success. Then, it figured out how to chew the straps. After going through two hives twice and three sets of straps, I gave up on that idea.


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## rtoney (Apr 20, 2011)

If your host is willing to replace hives go for the fence otherwise stick with electric.


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## Jim 134 (Dec 1, 2007)

Non-electric way to keep bears out ?


A gun :s 

Dogs :s 




BEE HAPPY Jim 134


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## jrbbees (Apr 4, 2010)

don't even bother. Save your money. 

"you could try one of those portable dog kennels made from galvanized pipe and a chain link fence with a top,they can climb the fence easy and go in from the top." 

Chain link is a joke to a bear and most large animals. Chain link at the zoo is to control the people not the animals.

Tell your owner Elec fence is the safest for the bear. It will become entangeled or impaled in the other stuff and then have to be shot because it is injured. Or, depending on you wildlife laws, you have to call out a wildlife vet, they dart it, take it in and treat it. Then they fine you for rigging a trap. And you have to pay the vet bill! My daughter is a vet with a specialty in zoo and wildlife medicine. She has darted several bears and then been call in as a witness by the state on the bears injuries in the hearing on the fines. Do Elec or forget it!


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## Blackwater Bee (May 1, 2008)

The only thing that comes to mind is a Remington 870 loaded for bear, a dog with a keen sense of smell and lots of coffee.
Bears are experts in demolition, I've heard stories where electric fences have failed to keep out hungry bears.
Good Luck !


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## kbenz (Feb 17, 2010)

why would he oppose an electric fence??


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## mrbeer (Apr 4, 2017)

Might try sheets of plywood with hundreds of long nails sticking up surrounding the hives. Although the plywood could put you in the poorhouse these days.


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## Gray Goose (Sep 4, 2018)

SO IMO find a different Apiary site.
IF there are bears AND you cannot fence, you likely will be ruined if you stay on this path.
don't swim up stream if you have options.

GG


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## BadBeeKeeper (Jan 24, 2015)

I think in 10 years, he either solved his problem or it was solved for him.


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## LarryBud (Jul 19, 2020)

Same answer then and now- .308 Winchester


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## Trin (May 6, 2020)

Anything I can think of is expensive.......like a single steel pole billboard with added platform. 

Build a platform on top and grease the pole. Bring a ladder, maybe wear a fall restraint device. 

Sorry, but electric fence is probably the only known reasonable solution. We have an occasional bear cruise through my area, usually noted when bee hives get destroyed. Usually following river systems. It has given me a pause to think about placing potential bee yards. I have a friend who owns a large orchard business. They put in invisible fence, put a pair of dogs roaming, and installed a shed/dog shelter. The bear broke into the shed, ate all the dog food and mauled one of the dogs.


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## Steve_in_NC (Apr 9, 2000)

I heard of a a guy using an old junk schoolbus. He put the beehives in the bus, opened the windows, and closed the door.


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## username00101 (Apr 17, 2019)

One could try putting them up on the roof of their multi story house. Not a particularly safe location for beekeeping, but it might just be enough to deter a bear. If not, at least you'll hear the bear thumping around up there.


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## mtnmyke (Apr 27, 2017)

I'm curious as well as others - why would they be apposed to an electric fence? They are dead silent and harmless to anything with a brain that knows not to touch it - which is why it works so well on bears. They aren't dumb.

They may argue, but electric fences are harmless anyway and entirely psychological. Our 10,000v electric fence is only like .2amps (if I recall), so not nearly enough to cause actual physical harm. And I don't have bears, just got a highly rated fence to keep bobcat, mtn lion, and coyote out of our chicken coop.

But I agree with others, save your money and do it elsewhere if you can't do it right there. More than likely, you'll end up with some torn up hives which is expensive and devastating - just look up hives destroyed by bears.


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