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Offline hardwood

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Bear strikes hard
« on: January 14, 2013, 08:06:11 pm »
We had a bear nearly devastate one of our yards. I couldn't get them moved for two days after this video was taken and the final tally was 32 out of 80 were saved.

Oviedo bees and bear attack 009

The better news is that swarms and removal calls are slowly coming in so I'll be able to stock a a few boxes before the flow starts.

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline Kathyp

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2013, 08:08:28 pm »
you are having a bad year!  :-\
Someone really ought to tell them that the world of Ayn Rand?s novel was not meant to be aspirational.

Offline Joe D

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2013, 08:13:41 pm »
Sorry for your loss, Scott.  Bears are protected here also.




Joe

Offline blanc

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2013, 10:30:56 pm »
The few I lost last year kinda bummed me out after all the hard work getting them. Feel for you Scott but know you will recover quick. Feeling like bear burger?  :-D Got the gun ready!
Psalm 19:9-10
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Offline edward

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2013, 11:41:52 pm »
 :-x I want to swear but I´d get into trouble with the moderator  :-x

Man, I feel for you, was thinking you should feed the bear with lead, but then you said they are protected  :-x

They visited one of my yards last year, ate a few hives, but then the bear started terrorising the neighborhood and started following mothers and children on bikes in the forest roads so they decided to hunt it down.

The bear swam 8km out in the ocean and was seen on an island, they called it in and they caught up with it just beefore it tried to swim away.

I lost at least 400kg of honey that year  :-x

They say that 8% of bears are honey bears and once they start they wont stop till the whole yard is eaten.

mvh edward  :-P

Offline oblib

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2013, 11:54:39 pm »
If you just happen to be armed when working that yard and the bear uhh ...attacks you cough cough then you could shoot it.

Offline Sundog

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #6 on: January 15, 2013, 12:35:27 am »
Wow, amazing footage!  I know you’ll recover, but I still wish you better luck.

Keep the faith, and keep having fun.

Offline Nature Coast Beek

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #7 on: January 15, 2013, 07:14:34 am »
Well, that sux.

I see some electric fencing in your future.

Offline JackM

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2013, 08:45:41 am »
That stinks....I guess bears don't hibernate there
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Offline Robo

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2013, 09:23:15 am »
Sorry to hear that Scott.   I know the feeling and it really sucks.   Electric fence helps, but it is not foolproof.   I don't know if it is practical at a commercial level, but I have found that keeping all my hives strapped reduces damage tremendously.   A lot of times the bears will just knock the hive over and if it doesn't open up they move on. Last fall I had one actually rip a side off a polystyrene hive that was strapped, but luckily it was the end bar side of the frames and I guess that was also enough discouragement.   Hive was knocked over and had the side ripped off, but the strap kept everything intact.      My experience has been that regardless of what you do, they will continue to return once they hit.   The only way I have found to cut the losses is move the yard ASAP.
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work." - Thomas Edison



Offline tefer2

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2013, 09:32:15 am »
Sorry to hear about this, glad I don't have that problem here! What's your plan.

Offline Jim134

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2013, 09:40:30 am »
Scott.....


  I do know Bonita and Dan Conlon of Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.Has about 95% of the hives fences for bears he got about (700 hives)
IMHO if the bears do hit move the hives NOW.


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"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
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Offline VolunteerK9

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2013, 10:09:21 am »
Bear in a crockpot with potatoes and carrots tastes amazingly just like beef.

Offline lazy shooter

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2013, 10:41:05 am »
We don't have bears, but we do have raccoons.  My biology pal tells me raccoons and bears are cousins, and that both species are very smart.  Once every year or two, a raccoon comes along that is athletic enough to get into my wild game feeders or calf feeders.  When that happens, I have to get the live traps out and catch it.  If not, it will come back night after night.  All this rambling gets me to the point that, THE BEAR WILL BE BACK.

I am from West Texas, and we speak slow with a horrible accent; therefore, I use the sophisticated term "raccoon."  If I said raccoon to one of my neighbors he might not know what I meant.  In our vernacular the animal is a "coon." 

On another forum, one of the old experienced northeastern beekeepers stated that, "if you put up an electric fence to put some bait on it so that as soon as the bear came back he would get his first shock."  The theory being that initially the fence would be in good working order, and at some later date the fence could be shorted out by some debris, snow or whatever. 

I am truly sorry for your horrible loss.   

Offline hardwood

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2013, 11:43:01 am »
The thought of having to fence all my yards and still be able to move them about (using a skid steer w/forks) is more than I can imagine. I've moved them out of that yard for now and will deal with the bear...I just won't broadcast it over the net when he just "vanishes".  :-D

Scott
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag...We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Offline Jim134

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #15 on: January 15, 2013, 12:22:11 pm »
The thought of having to fence all my yards and still be able to move them about (using a skid steer w/forks) is more than I can imagine. I've moved them out of that yard for now and will deal with the bear...I just won't broadcast it over the net when he just "vanishes".  :-D
Scott

 :shock:


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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #16 on: January 15, 2013, 12:36:05 pm »
Sorry for your loss, Scott.
I see bear tracks on the farm from time to time. Last year I kept all of my hives strapped down to 2-16' railroad tracks that I use for a base. Figured if they started attacking, it would give the bees enough time to get into full attack before the hives came appart. Never saw signs of an attempted attack.
Jim
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Offline lazy shooter

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #17 on: January 15, 2013, 01:30:23 pm »
Hardwood:

Being a hobbyist, I forget about you commercial folks that do beekeeping for a living.  You're correct the solution to your problem is SSS.  Shoot, Shovel and Shutup!

Offline AllenF

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #18 on: January 15, 2013, 06:00:20 pm »
Never overlook the value of a few good bear dogs.   After a few days, they should have the bear run out of the county. 

Offline jan

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #19 on: January 15, 2013, 07:59:36 pm »
In Idaho we have a saying.  Shoot, shovel, and shut up!  It would apply to this situation, I think. :-D

Offline Bees In Miami

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #20 on: January 15, 2013, 09:15:39 pm »
Scott:  I am so sorry!  That super sux!!!  I sure hope things turn around for you soon!  I hope Peggy is healing well, and that you have successfully relocated.  Thinking of you both, and good to see you back! 
Michelle

Offline JRH

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #21 on: January 15, 2013, 09:16:07 pm »
Quote
Electric fence helps, but it is not foolproof.   I don't know if it is practical at a commercial level, but I have found that keeping all my hives strapped reduces damage tremendously.

Got to respectfully disagree.  Any well-designed electric fence will defeat bears.  This is proven every day everywhere in bear country.  Strapping just causes more damage because the bear is forced to bash the outer box to get at the frames of brood and honey inside.

Offline T Beek

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2013, 08:06:51 am »
Greetings from Black Bear Country!

Spring 2011.  After 5 visits in over 3 weeks a big (over 450lbs) old (grey whiskers) boar (boy bear) wiped out the last remains of our beeyard.  Fortunately we only had 3 colonies, but one was a 3 year survivor colony.  Caught him in the act one night and only a shotgun blast over his head from 10-15 ' away caused him to leave....the same way he came....right through my SIX strands of electric fence.  

The Wildlife Manager  :roll: who finally trapped this old guy said "he'd likely done this before and thus had 'no fear' of electric fences."  I can only agree.  I mean "really" if a Bear can take several thousand stings to his head I doubt an electric fence will 'always' succeed.  Once brood is tasted nothing else matters to a determined Bear.

Immediately following that episode we bought 4 of those NITEGUARD lites seen in all the BEEK mags for $19.99.  We've since had several bear in the area, in fact our nearest neighbor a 1/4 mile down the road lost a 200lb alpaca to another Male Bear during the 2012 mating season (males can get pretty unpredictable that time of year) and we caught one in our garbage, not 100yards from our beeyard, but the lights worked and continue to.......so far.  I should say that 2011 was the first time we had Bear disturb our bees in almost 10 years, in Bear Country.  When we had pigs for several years when the kids were still home, they'd (Bear) bother them sometimes but nothing like the damage done to our bees.  

I'm buying more Niteguard lites before Spring comes and recommend them to anyone keeping bees when in Bear Country.
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Offline Larry Bees

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #23 on: January 29, 2013, 06:53:24 pm »
Wow Scott! Does your bad luck never end?

I haven't been on this site for awhile and just now read this.

Sorry this happened !

Larry

Offline rubeehaven2

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #24 on: January 29, 2013, 07:41:14 pm »
Sorry about your losses.  That's really a shame.  I don't know about the 8% honey bear thing, but I do know that once a bear finds a food source, it will NEVER forget.  At some point it will be back for more.

Good luck.

Rich

Offline VolunteerK9

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #25 on: January 29, 2013, 08:03:02 pm »
I've wondered if those night eye things actually worked or not. Thanks for the info

Offline MTWIBadger

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #26 on: January 30, 2013, 11:29:38 am »
All the commercial bee yards in my neck of the woods have electric fencing around them. I haven't had any problems with bears getting into my hives YET but have been sighted in my neighborhood.  I have a single hot wire on the fence surrounding my yard. I even have apple trees so at some point I expect to be hit.

Offline T Beek

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #27 on: January 30, 2013, 11:57:28 am »
I've only had 'one' encounter w/ a bear and my bees.  The bear plowed through six strands of electric fence and when caught in the act, plowed back through it again. 

An electric fence will not detour a determined bear, nor will thousands of beestings apparently  :laugh:
"Trust those who seek the truth, doubt those who say they've found it."

Offline Jim134

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #28 on: January 30, 2013, 12:10:38 pm »
I've wondered if those night eye things actually worked or not. Thanks for the info

night eyes do not work in MA.

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BEE HAPPY Jim 134 :)
"Tell me and I'll forget,show me and I may  remember,involve me and I'll understand"
        Chinese Proverb

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
 John F. Kennedy
Franklin County Beekeepers Association MA. http://www.franklinmabeekeepers.org/

Offline mdbee

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Re: Bear strikes hard
« Reply #29 on: January 30, 2013, 01:03:39 pm »
I had a bear this week go through 5 strands of barbwire, he has not came back yet and i did bait the wire this time. I think like some of the rest and a 150 gr moving around 3000 ftps will be the next. I have a 10,000 volt solarcharger on them.

 

anything