questions about my electric fence set-up

[justin]

well i got my first real bee yard in place and i put up the solar electric fence the way the beek i bought out said he did it, but now i am not so sure i like it. he said to run a hot on top a ground in the middle and a hot on bottom. i did that and i also drove a 3' ground rod in the corner oposite the charger and attached it to the middle wire. what i dont understand is will the top or bottom shock without touching the middle? if not could i put in some serious ground rods and get it so that the hot lines would shock? i live in serious bear country and would really like to make sure i get the nose before they get the honey.thanks justin

[kwest]

yes justin as long as the animal is grounded on the ground and it touches the hot wire it will get shocked. We use electric fence for our cows all the time and there really is no need to have a wire that is grounded. the actual ground is good enough. Hey what is the best way to get an apiary site here in the state. I am signed up as a hobbiest but would like to get a commercial site. got any ideas. kind of hard go get a spot with the 3 mile radius laws.

[julie]

What are the 3 mile radius laws around Manhattan? Are they the same throughout all of Gallatin County? Do you know what the laws are around Three Forks? Thanks so much!

Julie

[BEES4U]

Dual ground works better;
Run a 3' wide with one inch holes chicken wire fence flat on the grond with a ground lead around your perimeter.
I used plastic tent stackes to secure the chicken wire to the ground.
And, your other grounded lead to your 3" ground as mentioned
Make sure that your ground is secure.
Pour water around your ground stake/pipe.
I would pour at least 5 gallons of water arond your steel fence posts too.
Now the bear is grounded on the chicken wire and when it contacts any one of the 4 plus wires on your post it gets zapped!
Put the fence up 1st before you place your hives and some people bait the wire on the post with bacon to "educate' the bear,s.
You might post a sign to warn people about the electric fence.
Good Luck,
Ernie

[kwest]

Julie-Here is the montana law on commercial apiarys. try this site http://agr.mt.gov/crops/Bees/Apiary.asp this is concerning the three mile radius separation laws for commercial apiarys.

Justin- You need to make sure that the electric fencer has a ground rod tied to the ground side of the electric fencer. dont worry about all the grounding a middle wire and fencing on the ground. If your worried about how it works test it out!!! use a insulated screw driver to short it out to a steel fence post.

[alpha6]

Real easy. From your impulse charger you should run from your negative terminal to your ground rods. Depending on what kind of moisture is in your ground you can use from one to three ground rods. Drive them as deep as you can and spread them about 6 to 8 ft apart. This will provide more then enough ground for the system. You do not need a ground coming off the fence. Your hot wire from your impulse charger is what should be attached to the fence so it is hot.

I will upload pics of how our fences are constructed and like you we are in serious bear country. So far these types of fences keep the bears out.

[BEES4U]

Here are some more details;
http://cba.stonehavenlife.com/2008/10/a-beekeepers-bear-fence/
Ernie

[JPK]

Take a look at the Patriot Changer site
http://www.patriotchargers.com/fencing%20help.htm
They have some pretty good instructional videos

Nothing beats a P20 (2J) It has an adapter to run 2v or household electricity.

A 15W Panel like this http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/solar-power-chargers.aspx?a=219799

Deep Cell Marine Battery (Size does matter if you live outside the sun belt)

This combo has held up for me despite long stretches of rain/overcast conditions and has kept the battery charged.