Bear Attack..... Reusable???

**Bob D** · 06-21-2012, 07:33 PM

bears came and visited me 3 times a couple weeks back. the 3rd time I had an electric fence and the bear went right through it. But, He must have found it not to be worth it as he hasn't been back since.

My question, he trashed several of my wooden frames with foundation and then scrapped and licked the brood, bees and honey off my black plastic pierco frames. Can I reuse the plastic frames or will the scent and sliva of the bear piss off the bees?

All in all, 1 hive totally gone (an over wintered 2 deep hive), a 2nd that is touch and go (another over wintered 2 deep hive now down to 1 deep and struggling) and my new package that is 1 deep and seems to be coming through it fairly well.

Bob D
Residing At Our Temporary Home in Belmont, NH

**Vance G** · 06-21-2012, 08:30 PM

The frames are fine. the bees will clean and reuse. Tough luck. Keep the voltage up.

**Nichols747** · 06-21-2012, 10:25 PM

I just recovered two deeps from a buddies bee yard which was blown up by a bear. I combined the mostly intact box with a recent swarm I hived, and just came in from shaking the other ten frames into five of my weaker nucs. They had been living on warped, torn up comb for three days, and were building comb like crazy on the bottoms ot the eaten up comb! I would move your survivng hives - my buddy put up his electric fence after the first night, but after the bear figured out what was in those boxes, he just blew through it... Good luck!

**beedeetee** · 06-21-2012, 11:01 PM

How strong a fencer was he using? I'm right over the mountains from you. I had a bear in my hives about a month ago. The first night I didn't hear anything, just found two knocked over and 5 frames taken into the woods and licked clean. I put up a motion light but the next night he came at the other end of the apiary (behind some fruit trees). These hives are less than 100 feet from our bedroom. The second night he came for a queen castle (3 section) that had 3 quart jars of feed on it. We heard the jars go over. I don't know what he did but he went over the fence with the box (or threw the box over??). It was on the ground and my cells and frames were scattered. I put everything back together as best I could that night (worked out okay as every queen hatched and is laying).

Then I put up the fence. I have a Parmak 30 mile solar fencer that I had gotten a few years ago to keep sheep out of a vineyard. I used 14 gage wire and the fencer pegs both meters that I have (go to 9900 v) along with the meter on the fencer. I actually don't know if he tested it or not, but he hasn't bothered the hives since.

To the OP: the frames that the bear licked clean were duragilt so I need to replace the foundation. He had licked the brood area (left the honey in the corners) down to the slick plastic. The wooden frames were in perfect condition though. Not bend, broken or chewed on. I would think that yours would be fine.

**Nichols747** · 06-21-2012, 11:10 PM

BeeDeeTee, I don't know what fencer he has - he called me on the morning following the third visit, because he'd had to fly out that morning - I had to take leave and go grab the two intact hives - they're now stashed in Camas, and I went back the next morning to collect the busted up one. I got almost everything, but left my swarm-collecting nuc to gather up the stragglers, and he tore THAT up too!

Are you over near the high school?

Andrew

**EastSideBuzz** · 06-21-2012, 11:41 PM

I would load up your shot gun with slugs and show that bear that he needs to not eat your bee's.

**Aerindel** · 06-22-2012, 01:25 AM

I too have found electric fences to be a failure. As for the equipment I think it would be fine but I don't know for sure since the bear trashed my equipment to the point where I just burned the whole mess after my attempt to save the bees failed. I was scooping them up in cups and dumping them back in a hive with as much tied in comb as I could salvage. They did alright for a while but died during a sub zero spell in january.

After loosing my last bees I adopted a "Never again" philosophy and built this:

So far so good.

**fordtractornut** · 06-22-2012, 04:03 AM

all i can say is WOW.

**beedeetee** · 06-22-2012, 07:09 AM

"Are you over near the high school?"

I'm farther out than that. I have a Camas address, but live about 15 minutes from town (north). I'm up against DNR land to the north and east. We have always had bears around. They usually get into compost piles, etc. and for 20 years my little welded wire 5' fence seemed to keep them from investigating the white boxes. If I left a box outside the fence (after catching a swarm for instance) it would usually be toothpicks by morning. I knew it was not going to last....and it didn't.