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Author Topic: new hives and bears  (Read 6922 times)

Offline headcheese

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new hives and bears
« on: June 24, 2004, 08:44:15 pm »
I started two new hives this year, my first colony did not make it through the winter. Things were going well untill what I thought was a raccoon knocked my hives over. I tied my hives to the pallet they were on, but they were disturbed again. Figuring I was smarter than a coon I lashed my hives to the pallet. Two days later I found my hives 30' away. One was knocked open and one was still lashed to the upsidedown pallet . My problem was bears. I now have a four strand electric fence around my hives. Either the trama or the bears did in the queens. I put new queens in the hives 6-23-04 and am feeding them sugar water. Hopefully this will restart the hives as there is no brood or honey. I have not seen the bears in action but my neighbor (a flatlander) had them on his porch eating his birdfeeder.

Offline BigRog

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new hives and bears
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2004, 09:48:46 pm »
Wow that has to make it difficult
Where are you located?
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Offline Bee Boy

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new hives and bears
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2004, 10:34:44 pm »
Man am I glad that there aren't any bears near us...or I hope not :shock:
Bee Boy

Offline Mchero

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new hives and bears
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2004, 02:50:58 pm »
Anybody besides myself using the critter gitter from betterbee.com?

RM

Offline melliphile

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lives in bear country
« Reply #4 on: June 18, 2006, 05:46:39 pm »
I know plenty of bee keepers who have had hives decimated by bears.  One friend only keeps hives on rooftops. Another has two electric fences around his..  I've been told that the critter gitter will not deter a bear.   One friend tried scaring a bear off  first by honking the horn, then by chasing him in his van then by shotgun blasts and eventually shot the bear(not with the shotgun)but only after losing 5 hives.  Once they find your apiary, nothing will stop them from tearing it apart.  They love honey, but even more, bears love brood.  Stings seem to have no effect.  Fall is probably the worst. that's when there's lots of honey wafting on the breeze and bears are looking for lots of calories to carry them thru the winter.
"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." -Plato

Offline Brian D. Bray

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new hives and bears
« Reply #5 on: June 19, 2006, 10:47:02 pm »
Of course they love honey--everybody knows that from Pooh.
The only long term solution to bears is to move the hives.
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Offline Archie

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new hives and bears
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2006, 04:57:09 am »
Hi,
Living in the woods in Vermont, I have had a lot of trouble with bears.  The problem with just a wire fence is, the bear has to put his nose on the fence in order to receive a good shock.  If there is room for the bear to get his head through and then gets the shock, he will lunge forward and into the hive area.  I use a electric net fence and wala, no more bears.  You can see these nets at  http://www.maxflex.com/Nets_page1.HTM

good luck

Archie
Honey, Vermont sunshine in a bottle.

Offline melliphile

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new hives and bears
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2006, 10:04:37 am »
Just curoius, Archie.  Has your fence been tested yet?
"Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." -Plato

Offline Archie

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new hives and bears
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2006, 03:47:27 pm »
Just curoius, Archie. Has your fence been tested yet?


yep, it has two years ago and again this year.  complete successsss

Archie
Honey, Vermont sunshine in a bottle.

Offline woodchopper

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Re: new hives and bears
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2007, 09:35:27 am »
Just curoius, Archie. Has your fence been tested yet?


yep, it has two years ago and again this year.  complete successsss

Archie
Old post ,I know. Wish these electric fence companies sold shorter fences. I don't need 80 something feet . I just want to go around 4 hives behind my garage.
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Offline Robo

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Re: new hives and bears
« Reply #10 on: April 03, 2007, 10:25:50 am »
Old post ,I know. Wish these electric fence companies sold shorter fences. I don't need 80 something feet . I just want to go around 4 hives behind my garage.

Just buy a roll of wire and run it around a few times yourself.  I had 4 bear in my yard at one time last year.  They got into my chicken coop, drug out a bag of feed and killed a few guineas,  but never touched my bees.   They kept coming back until I put a few strand of electric fence around the chicken coop too.  The key is just to bait the fence.   I use peanut butter on pieces of hardware cloth bent in a 'V' shape and hung on the wire.

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