Bear Behavior

**MDenver** · 05-04-2009, 03:21 PM

Had a bear tip over a hive today, eat a few frames but left most of the wooden ware intact. There is an electric fence around the hive and we have now reinforced it but... the question is will the bear come back and keep trying over and over to get in now that it's had a meal.

Any experience out there with this?

Thanks,
Megan

**Elwood** · 05-04-2009, 03:28 PM

who have had experience. One mentioned a woven fence given him by his state apiarist. He said it was effective. I'm still looking for the manufacturer. I'll probably be needing one myself.

**Tom G. Laury** · 05-04-2009, 04:14 PM

The bear will be back.

**JohnK and Sheri** · 05-04-2009, 04:33 PM

Electric fencing works 99%+ of the time. The few times we have had bear hit our fenced yards we have fixed/reinforced the fence and been OK, we can see where the bears walked around testing and retesting the fence and finally they gave up. BUT, we caught a sow one night after she went through the fence, then caught her yearling cub a couple days later. We figured he was really hungry without mom. She was a big teddy bear in the trap but he must have been having a tough time because he was really scared and aggressive, charging from one end to the other, snarling and snapping.

Today I talked to a guy who seems to have done everything right last year: using ribbon wire, 3 hot strands, baiting the fence, testing it and keeping the ground good etc and had three different bears in a row go right through it (the DNR caught and relocated the first two, the last one came back 4 nights in a row, ignoring the traps and taking out another colony each night. He finally had to move the yard closer to home. Maybe it depends on just how hungry and determined they are. Maybe some bear are more "macho" than others.
I would wait and see how it goes, hope the fence holds but be ready to move if need be. Or try the mesh, that must really light them up when they get into that.
Good luck,
Sheri

**bnatural** · 05-04-2009, 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by Elwood

who have had experience. One mentioned a woven fence given him by his state apiarist. He said it was effective. I'm still looking for the manufacturer. I'll probably be needing one myself.

That was me. The fence is from Premier1. It is called the QuickGround Electronet 9/35/12, code #201410 for 164 feet - $134 w/free shipping:

http://www.premier1supplies.com/deta...=401&cat_id=53

I just bought a new one. My old one was only 62 feet, and I expanded my bee yard. I just set up the new one on Sunday. I am impressed with the quality of the new fence- the posts are stronger and it is overall a better design. The bottom line is the ground line. It runs to all the post bottoms, so there is no need for a grounding rod(s).

As I have written before, an electric fence is a deterrent, not a preventative. A determined bear will get through, and once they have found a meal, they will keep coming back. I like the mesh design, because 1) it is easy to install and move, 2) it is tighter, with 8 positive horizontal wires, so they are almost certain to touch one, and 3) it also keeps out skunks, since it goes all the way to the ground. But, nothing's perfect.

Jeepers, Sheri, how big a trap did you use to capture a sow bear?!?

Good luck, Megan, I don't know what else to tell you that others haven't written. You can try boosting the joules, but I don't know if that will do it. Have you contacted your state wildlife service?

Bill

**JPK** · 05-04-2009, 06:31 PM

Electric Fences are near worthless UNLESS you BAIT THE FENCE.

Yogi and Boo Boo have thick coats and just brushing up against a fence won't do squat.....in fact they will walk right through it.

On the other hand, a ribbon fence with a tasty piece of bacon wrapped around it every 10-15' will result in the bear taking a very nice shot in a very sensitive tongue/mouth/nose area.

You need to train the bear.....a good shot to the mouth with 2 Joules of electricity and he/she will give that fence a wide berth.

**jbw** · 05-04-2009, 06:55 PM

Originally Posted by JPK1NH

Electric Fences are near worthless UNLESS you BAIT THE FENCE.

Yogi and Boo Boo have thick coats and just brushing up against a fence won't do squat.....in fact they will walk right through it.

On the other hand, a ribbon fence with a tasty piece of bacon wrapped around it every 10-15' will result in the bear taking a very nice shot in a very sensitive tongue/mouth/nose area.

You need to train the bear.....a good shot to the mouth with 2 Joules of electricity and he/she will give that fence a wide berth.

bait or they will return every time...it's like candy to them...

**Bear Creek Steve** · 05-04-2009, 07:00 PM

Here's a copy of my earlier post. Not cheap and not large, but it works and is especially designed for non-moist ground. What does a new colony and lost production cost?

I live in bear country and before I got my first colony I built my bear fence. It consists of three 16'X4' cattle panels, one cut in half to make a 8'X16' yard. Four corners consist of heavy steel pipe with fiber optics conduit slid over as an insulator. The cattle panels are secured to the insulation and off the ground. The panels are wired together with bare copper wire and soldered. This is the "hot" side.
I use a Paramak brand Magnum 12 volt solar fence charger which is expensive but of reliable quality to charge the system. (Shop for best $)
CO is very arid so I put an 18" wide "skirt" of sheet metal on the ground 6" outside the cattle panels & spiked to the ground. Chicken wire as suggested above would work. The fence charger is grounded to an 8' copper clad ground rod & all of the "skirt" is bare copper wired/soldered together & tied to the ground rod. System has been tested by the bears & it works well. Look at http://www.kencove.com/fence/76_Bear+Fence_resource.php for info. Good luck & be safe. Next time ask me what I did with the bear in my kitchen.

**JohnK and Sheri** · 05-04-2009, 07:26 PM

If you use ribbon wire you don't need to bait. We have had 50+ yards for years, don't bait and never have. BUT they need to see the ribbon so they will sniff it and get zapped on the nose. Galv wire they go right through because they do not see it.
It doesn't hurt to bait, but it is too long between visits to some of our yards to worry about baiting, when we know it is not necessary in our area. YMMV.
Sheri

**bnatural** · 05-04-2009, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by JohnK and Sheri

If you use ribbon wire you don't need to bait. We have had 50+ yards for years, don't bait and never have. BUT they need to see the ribbon so they will sniff it and get zapped on the nose. Galv wire they go right through because they do not see it.

That's probably why my mesh fence works, but I have never baited it, either. It is very visible and the wires are relatively closely spaced. A bear curious about what is on the other side pretty much has to sniff it to check it out.

Bill