# Bee-ware Bear!



## Adrian Quiney WI

Good luck. That should do it.


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## Lazer128

Adrian Quiney WI said:


> Good luck. That should do it.


Thanks. I sure hope so! Actually I think one touched it yesterday. I found disturbed soil with a bear print in it right up against the fence!


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## tsmullins

The natural wood looks nice on your hives as well.

Shane


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## Lazer128

tsmullins said:


> The natural wood looks nice on your hives as well.
> 
> Shane


Well thank you sir! Call me crazy (others have) but I can't stand to see painted hives in the woods/fields. I have always been a litter freak and they remind me of trash I guess? I also wanted to hide them from the public as much as I could. I hope the tung oil (100%) on cypress will last. If not, I'll paint the next ones. Brown-gray of course! lol


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## ryandebny

Nice fence
Make sure you post those bear pics


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## BeeGhost

Nice looking setup there Lazer! Quite fancy looking! Can't wait for the bear pictures!


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## New Ky Beekeeper

Lazer, I don't want to meet the bear that can go through that while the fence charger is working!


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## Lburou

Looks well designed and should give all the animals pause. 

Something we learned when electrifying a garden plot: If you have small critters getting by, grounding the lowest wire is an effective action because it makes quite a good circuit when touching the first and second (read hot) wires simultaneously. You could expand that idea by grounding every other wire going up the post -making it a lot easier to get a circuit to ground where the bear operates. How long is your grounding rod? HTH


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## Lazer128

Lburou said:


> Looks well designed and should give all the animals pause.
> 
> Something we learned when electrifying a garden plot: If you have small critters getting by, grounding the lowest wire is an effective action because it makes quite a good circuit when touching the first and second (read hot) wires simultaneously. You could expand that idea by grounding every other wire going up the post -making it a lot easier to get a circuit to ground where the bear operates. How long is your grounding rod? HTH


Hot and ground wires alternate up the post. You can see the insulators on every other wire. I have (2) rods 8 feet deep spaced 10 feet apart. I may "staple" wire panels to the soil along the perimeter to increase the ground if I think I need to do so. I don't think I will need to do this much.


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## Aerindel

I found that an electric fence was not enough...I went for a, shall we say, more extreme solution.

http://www.beesource.com/forums/sho...tress-nearly-completed&highlight=bee+fortress


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## Lazer128

AWESOME!!!!!! I want one. It's beautiful!


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## Aerindel

You can have one. I didn't file a patent and it wasn't that expensive, about the same as a good fence actually.


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## Lburou

I'm suffering from truck envy after seeing those pictures 

Good luck with those bees


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## minz

I had a Galligher ‘the rustler’ fencer. Filled up with water and stopped working the first couple of months. Can’t seem to get any customer support. My chickens suffered. Whose fencer are you using and have you had any experience with it? 
LOVE the wood. Wood worker here and it just kills me to paint my hives.


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## Lazer128

Lburou said:


> I'm suffering from truck envy after seeing those pictures
> 
> Good luck with those bees


Thank you. Powerstrokes have been my hobby until now!


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## Lazer128

minz said:


> I had a Galligher ‘the rustler’ fencer. Filled up with water and stopped working the first couple of months. Can’t seem to get any customer support. My chickens suffered. Whose fencer are you using and have you had any experience with it?
> LOVE the wood. Wood worker here and it just kills me to paint my hives.


I just installed this Zareba 1 Joule DC charger. Got it from Tractor Supply. I have it covered. Pretty sure most of them are supposed to be protected from the elements.

I don't like painted wood either. Hope these survive.


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## Aerindel

The night the bear came though my fence it was raining which I think shorted out my charger. Not sure there is any protection that works when everything is wet.


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## ryandebny

They should work in the rain
The ground would be good
Bears will test a dence


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## Lazer128

ryandebny said:


> They should work in the rain
> The ground would be good
> Bears will test a dence


! would think the wetter the better as long as the controller is protected from the elements. Mine is DC and can be seen under the platic tote with the battery. I will add a solar trickle charger to the system as soon as I get time. Until the I will be switching out batteries every month or so or whenever the voltage drops below 7000 volts.


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## bluegrass

That is some really nice work there. I think it will keep the bears at bay. My only criticism is I would not have alternated charged and ground wires... I would have charged all the wires. I did notice that you are on some pretty sand soil though, if that dries out the fence will probably stop working due to an incomplete circuit. Which I guess is likely the reason you alternated wires. 

I would not bait the fence. The bees will be plenty of lure to attract the bears, no point in adding something extra.


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## Lazer128

bluegrass said:


> That is some really nice work there. I think it will keep the bears at bay. My only criticism is I would not have alternated charged and ground wires... I would have charged all the wires. I did notice that you are on some pretty sand soil though, if that dries out the fence will probably stop working due to an incomplete circuit. Which I guess is likely the reason you alternated wires.
> 
> I would not bait the fence. The bees will be plenty of lure to attract the bears, no point in adding something extra.


Thanks for the comments. The sand you see is some I brought in to smooth off the site after I pushed up some trees. The soil is actually pretty good in this area. And yes I alternated them to improve the odds of a bear getting bit. I baited it hoping that the bears will be educated about the fence BEFORE I get the bees. It hasn't worked so far. Crows striped the bacon off of the wires yesterday. I suspected that is what happened and the game camera I have set up confirmed it. I am going to tie bacon grease soaked strips of cloth on it this evening. We have a group of bears that check out everything you touch. I have learned that they will walk dow the row in the garden that I just weeded or knock over the wood pile I just stacked. Real problem. They already checked out the fence before I baited it but I was hoping to shock them in their mouths if I can. I'll post pictures if I get any. Have a nice day.


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## max2

Lazer128 said:


> Well thank you sir! Call me crazy (others have) but I can't stand to see painted hives in the woods/fields. I have always been a litter freak and they remind me of trash I guess? I also wanted to hide them from the public as much as I could. I hope the tung oil (100%) on cypress will last. If not, I'll paint the next ones. Brown-gray of course! lol


Not sure about your climate but here tung oil grows mould. It would be interesting to see the picture in 12 months time.
Newly painted wood ( with tung oil) does look lovely.


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## Lazer128

max2 said:


> Not sure about your climate but here tung oil grows mould. It would be interesting to see the picture in 12 months time.
> Newly painted wood ( with tung oil) does look lovely.


I sure hope not! It is very humid here too. I have had 20.21" of rain since 1-1-13. I have researched it some after reading your comment and have read where it is more resistant to mold than most pure natural finishes. I expect the boxes to gray out a bit. It will be interesting to see. Heck......everything here has mold on it even the automobiles if they are not washed regularly. lol


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## Lazer128

Hmmmmm? I may have discovered a new bear repellant: Bacon grease! I am only kidding but I have not had a single visitor since I baited the fence other than a few crows. I switched from real raw bacon to bacon grease soaked strips of cloth. Camerta is still in place and working just waiting for the moment of truth!

I found a guy that is going to let me install one of his packages next Saturday. I can't wait! Less than 2 weeks before I get to install my own! Whoohoo!


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## Myron Denny

I do not see insulatores fastening your "hot" wire to the posts, are you using insulators? This might be the reason your system "shorted out" during the rain.


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## Lazer128

Myron Denny said:


> I do not see insulatores fastening your "hot" wire to the posts, are you using insulators? This might be the reason your system "shorted out" during the rain.


Hmmmm? Mine has never shorted out? You must be responding to the comment Minz made? I used tube insulators on my fence.


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## Aerindel

> I do not see insulatores fastening your "hot" wire to the posts, are you using insulators? This might be the reason your system "shorted out" during the rain.


I think you are replying to my comment, and yes, I had insulators. It wasn't so much that it shorted out, I think it grounded itself out and become ineffective. In any case, I will no longer depend on powered defenses. I went medieval.


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## Lazer128

Whoohoo!!!! As of 12:30 today, I am the proud landlord of 4 hives. All went well. Game cams are operating. We'll see how good the fence is.


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## ryandebny

Right on 
Sounds like your set up is tight


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## Bee Whisperer

Can I ask; how did you make the handles on you boxes?


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## Lazer128

I purchased my cypress boxes from Rossman. They cut that with a table saw blade with the stock supported at an angle. I have see a video of it being done on Youtube.


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## AstroBee

No self-respecting bear would dare touch hives this pretty 

Good luck


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## Lazer128

AstroBee said:


> No self-respecting bear would dare touch hives this pretty
> 
> Good luck


Well thank you! That's a real compliment coming from a rocket scientist!  As an architect, I am constantly battling with myself about doing things good enough or doing way "gooder" than they need to be. I just hope I am half as good a bee keeper as I am an apiary builder! lol


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## Lazer128

A few pics of my first installation ever this past Saturday.


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## PAHunter62

Nice! Good luck to you!


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## Lazer128

PAHunter62 said:


> Nice! Good luck to you!


Thank you Hunter. I am going into them this weekend (with a mentor) to check on the queens and what they have been up to this past week. I am really excited!


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