[welldrainedsoil]

Hello all. I woke up this morning to see that a bear had gotten in an decimated both my hives. I was super sad. BUT! I went out and started cleaning up and found 1 of the 2 queens. So my question is... should I combine these hives (there doesn't seem to be all of the bees there was. Lots of them are dead and smashed on the frames)? should I get a new queen (it's saturday)? There are probably 2lbs of bees total left from two 4lb pcks. There was a ton of capped cells in the hives... . I think they were just about to boom in numbers again.

I have a 10 and 8 frame hive, if I do combine, I am going to put the 8 frame on top until I get another 10 frame to body to replace it.

Also, this is late in the season, but how would it be to move the hive?

Any advice? All of the comb is gone. Honey stores are gone. I am getting an electric fence today. I haven't had bear issues yet, this is the first.

Any advice on how to set up the e-fence best?

Thanks in advance.

 

[iwombat]

It's too late for en e-fence. The bear has found this location and will be in the hives again. You need to move the hives and put up an e-fence there.

 

[welldrainedsoil]

]

Thanks for the note. I'll move them. Not issue there. How will that affect the bees? Should I close up the hive for a day or so for them to reorient?

Thanks!

 

[beemanbob]

I hope you took pictures before you cleaned up the mess. Here in West Virginia the state is responsible for bear damage. I had 8 new hives destroyed by a bear. The state DNR officer came to the apairy assessed the damage and helped in filing the paperwork. He had a preprinted sheet of anything and everything you would have in a hive. He just marked off what and how many were destroyed. We were even compensated for the loss of honey. You may be able to keep the same location. When you set up your electric fence keep the wires 6 inches apart. This will keep the bear from getting his head inbetween the wires. If he gets his ears inside of the fence and gets zapped he will charge forward, this is why you keep the wires close together.

 

[TomOB]

do black bears have soft 'souls" making it unnecessary to run a ground wire along with the hot wires?

tia

t

 

[pbuhler]

I had bear damage earlier this year too; it walked right through the electric fence and opened a hive and dragged off and destroyed three frames of brood,honey and I think killed the queen too. I re-assembled the hive consolidating the remaining brood, and waited to see what would happen. The bees created a new queen cell within a few days and she has just started laying this week. The hive went from originally mellow to hot to now mellow. I'll see what happens next - I may add some brood filled frames with bees from another hive to help tend the new larvae; the honey and pollen stores seem good. I'll add a feeder when I see how the brood pattern develops.

Based on some advise, I tied some bacon strips on the top wires of my fence (just an overhand knot) with the idea that the bear will stick its tongue on the charged wire while taking a taste. So far no more bear damage - a piece of bacon was torn, so maybe this idea worked. I also strap my hives to the pallet using "Thule" cargo straps going both directions - not too hard to undo and redo, and an insurance policy in case of another bold bear.

BTW,my charger is a heavy duty AC model.

Paul

 

[welldrainedsoil]

Well I got everything in order and ready to move this evening. I have set up an area in my garden. We've got it setup with cemented posts and a 6' fence. I looked in the 8 frame hive, no bees to speak of, but I still filled the feed frame and put in 7 new frames with foundation on them.

The 10 frame hive has lots more activity, as I expected. I put the 1 queen I found in there. I hope I didn't get the hives swapped, but who knows. They both had blue spots on them .

Thanks for everyone's advice!

 

[welldrainedsoil]

Thanks Paul. I read a similar account. I have added syrup and pollen cakes. I hope at least 1 makes it. I can combine them together if there is issues I guess....

 

[wdcrkapry205]

do black bears have soft 'souls" making it unnecessary to run a ground wire along with the hot wires?

tia

t

The soles on a mature black bear look like asphault....

 

[bigbore]

won't really matter, if your charger is tuned right, and your fence put up right.
I have a friend that was leading a horse on a dry cotton lead rope, he touched my fence, and both he and the horse got "got" by the fence.
But I agree, on the Idea of moving them after they are hit!

 

[wdcrkapry205]

won't really matter, if your charger is tuned right, and your fence put up right.
I have a friend that was leading a horse on a dry cotton lead rope, he touched my fence, and both he and the horse got "got" by the fence.
But I agree, on the Idea of moving them after they are hit!

Could be that the horse was spooked by the reaction of the man who was leading him with that dry cotton rope....

 

[wdcrkapry205]

I knew a beekeeper in Wewahichka, Fl. (Tupelo Honey fame) who used 12vdc fence chargers; local hoodlums kept stealing his batteries so he would place them in an empty hive body and set a live hive on top. That stoped that.