[NewbeeInNH]

I posted this under the honey thread but haven't gotten an answer so thought I'd pose this here.

Had a deadout filled with honey. Put off getting to it, and a bear got to it first. Nothing broken, just strewn all over. He ate several frames, left the rest, and I brought 2 full boxes plus several strewn frames of honey to the house.

Getting ready to extract, and my young one piped up not to extract the strewn frames, they might have bear spit on them, just extract the 2 boxes that were largely intact.

Now she has me freaked. Can I extract the strewn frames without worry of bear germs or what? I'm sitting here with the frames in the extractor ready to go...

Do bears carry diseases?

 

[zombeek]

Not an expert, but I'd harvest it. Especially if its capped.

You could even market it by saying you use bear assisted harvesting methods.

 

[Schultz]

If it does have a little bear spit on it, it will probably boost your immune system.

 

[rwlaw]

Honey has such low ph and moisture that bugs can’t survive in it. Throw the cappings away when you extract if your daughter’s watching lol.

 

[NewbeeInNH]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. If they don't want the honey, I'll eat it.

 

[JWPalmer]

Same daughter that lets the dog lick her face?

I agree that any capped honey is safe. No bear spit. I wouldn't be worried even if there was.

 

[edzkoda]

With a label saying "endorsed by Smokey the bear"

 

[Ed in Northern VA]

With a label saying "endorsed by Smokey the bear"

Yeah but the honey was rejected by Smokey!

 

[fieldsofnaturalhoney]

Yeah but the honey was rejected by Smokey!

Don’t worry Smokey will be back I have no ideal if they carry diseases that would effect the honey. What do the frames look like? What about any debris?

 

[NewbeeInNH]

The half eaten frames I didn't bother with, but some of the frames that were on the ground had some grass on them and looked a little rough but still full of honey. Then there were 2 and a half boxes that were upside down but untouched, because I think the bear was stuffed at that point. He may have sniffed the frames that were on the ground but there were no bites. I guess he could have licked them. Ew.

 

[Bear Creek Steve]

I've been through a similar situation and I just take the damaged or clawed frames and fee them back to several of my undamages colonies. The bees salvage all of th honey and either consume it or you get to harvest it yourself later.

Like "Fields' says, that bear will be back, if not the next night, soon. You had better have a GOOD, well grounded electric fence in place ASAP. I built my bear fence before I got bees.

Cheers,
Steve
====

 

[NewbeeInNH]

Whoa yes I've had bears before and got an electric fence. But then a few years lapsed when I didn't have bees so took the fence down. Last summer I did get one colony and it absconded sometime around early fall and left this hive full of honey. So there's nothing left for the bear to grab now except the few half eaten frames I left out there. So poor Winnie's gonna have to find someone else's apiary to raid, or settle for acorns. I'm not getting bees this year.