# BEARS, only a matter of time



## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

So, I was in my driveway when a kid on a bike stopped by and said I thought I saw hives in your yard, I said yes just started this spring. He then told me he lives down the street, back in the woods a bit and his dad has been keeping bees for four years now and every spring and fall the bears destroy them. They were there last week, a mother bear, about 400lbs and two older cubs about 100lbs each. They knocked down a 6x12 dog kennel the bees were in that was surrounded by 4x8 sheets of plywood on the ground with 4inch spikes thru it, the plywood was covered in blood. He showed me pics on his phone. One cub came back the next day and he shot it six times with a 22 rifle, I told him I remember hearing the shots. That night while his dad was at work he kept watch with the 12ga, the mother tripped the motion sensor light and he shot at her three times with slugs hitting her twice, the first time she didn't flinch the second time hitting her in the neck, her pawing at the spot before she walked away. Hopefully she has died from her wounds. I saw pics of these bears last year on another neighbors trail cam but hadn't heard anything more until today. As the crow flys this guys hives are only about 300yards away, so I'm surprised they haven't discovered mine yet, maybe I'll remain lucky or they're dead. I told him to let me know if they come back, nothing else I can do but hope.


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## Aroc (May 18, 2016)

Where I live you don't shoot a bear unless you personally are in danger. We call the Fish and Game guy....he comes out and traps the bear and moves him where he won't harm someone. That way the bear isn't harmed either. I hate...absolutely hate it when we shoot and kill bears, mountain lions, wolves etc for doing nothing but being themselves. We have encroached on their territory. That's why we encounter them. For crying out loud at least have the decency to handle the situation humanely and maturely. Get an electric fence. There are a lot of beeks on here that have great ideas on bear proof electric fences.


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## dynemd (Aug 27, 2013)

mother bear with 2 cubs! C'mon. Surely there must be a better way!!


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

I agree, I don't condone him shooting the bears. After four years of destruction I would have got a electric fence myself, I actually have been searching since our talk. I asked him why his dad didn't get a electric fence and he said one of his dads friends is a beek and he has a four hour video of a bear digging under his fence to get his hives so he's convinced they don't work. I think that's a rare example of a bear getting thru one.


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## muskrat (Jul 22, 2016)

I'm a new beekeeper this year and have not had bear issues, but a beekeeper that lives about 40 miles from me said he had bear trouble in the past. Beginning of this year he ordered some lights from nite gaurd dot com. He hasn't had any bear trouble this year with his 25 hives. He said the reviews look good and he's a believer.


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## Chuck Jachens (Feb 22, 2016)

Buy a shipping container and put the bees on top. Instant bear proof hives. Bonus is the container is a great shed.


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## Clairesmom (Jun 6, 2012)

Hubby showed me this tonight


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## lostboy (Feb 20, 2016)

Surprised that the lights would work, might have been cheaper than the electric fence I just bought from Mcgregor, bestbearfence.com. The more I thought about it the more I felt bad about the bear shooting, and I'm a life long hunter. That mother and what would be second year cubs have been hanging around here for a while, one of my neighbors caught them on a trail cam last fall, that's why I'm surprised they haven't found my hives yet. The guy said he talked to a game warden and he told him to get a electric fence but that animals harrasing livestock, bees included can be killed in MA. and that there was nothing he could do for him, they don't trap and move problem bears to become problems somewhere else, they shoot them. I'm not sure about all that, maybe that game warden was just a idiot, but any way I got a fence.


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