Is it possible to create a new section about Bears and other marauding hive threats?
I would like to post some pictures etc about this years hive demolition by a bear…
thanks
Eric
3 Likes
Post away …
Edit: “General Bee Chat” probably more appropriate Forum.
2 Likes
I’d like to see your photos. Just go to the button up top (when you’re writing your comment) a bar with an arrow on top.
I am at te lake right now, so will keep it short… I am not new to bears and have had Bees for > 10 yrs so far, started when I retired from the 8 -4 lob… I have used a Horse pasture 10000 V sparker. it has repeled bears on many occasions… BUT I believe this is the bear that last year climbed a tree that leans over the fence and dropped in…!!
Hey West, what section of the world do you live in ?? I live about 20 or so miles SE of Seattle here. I’m on the edge of trees n city now. As a kid this area was deep forest n animals but the cities have pushed outward n literally destroyed our little farms n forests for what the call a better life, the BURBs.
The 1000’ to 3000’ foothills are within couple miles or less still with some limited patched n coradores of trees that coyotes, cougar, bears n smaller travel once in awhile. The city slickers really get in a “PANIC” if one of those critters is spotted. I just laugh out loud at them. I grew up around the WILD ! I still live within one mile of my folks small old mini-farm.
I tangle with posums, coons, weasels n other small animals at times. Nothing I can’t handle ! I keep the hens locked up at night n the bees are just out the bedroom window some 30 or 50’ max. I sleep lite with our window cracked an inch or two. It’s an easy look with one of my maxie powered flashlights. Been years but I could use one of my small pistol persuaders that’s loaded with buckshot. That would be a last resort if they came at me. Usually a light n noise sends them quickly packing around here.
Just a note from this old wilderness guzzler.
Gerald 
Sorry Gerald, forgot to reply to your question, I am in central BC, Canada, an area called The Cariboo, not to be confused with the animal Caribou.
A part of The Cariboo/Chilcotin…
30 + years working as a Forester, so am not unfamiliar with Bruno… have my own stalking stories, that is me being stalked…!
Come on @westbranch, where are these photos. 
1 Like
At home on the desktop and |I am at the lake for this week… Overnight and then off to pickup 800 or more pounds of wine grapes, this is a very busy time of the year up here!..
Pics as soon as I have some time to veg out at the computer… (no SAD smilie ?)
1 Like
We can both share this one
Ok I am about to test how to post my first pic …
here is my first approach to the hive,trying to be careful NOT to step on some of the clusters of bees clinging to hive pieces…
I had 3 brood supers on then the Queen Excluder, then a Flow box and another box with 3 flow hives that had not been used, I had just put them above so they might be ‘stepped on’ by some workers and lay down a little wax… I first bought 3 with the intention of modifying a regular box and then ordered 7 frames and a FF Cedar honey super… You can see the edge of a Queen Excluder under the closest pile of FF segments…
OK so I am still limited to 1 pic…
try again
This is interesting, the 2 green boxes were at the bottom of the stack on a Varoa-nater screened bottom board, the white box was the 3 rd brood super… so that means that Bruno had to have lifted the 3 Propolized-together boxes and threw them away from their location, to my left…
I was and still am , as to how calm this hive is, There was only one ‘guard ’ that buzzed me when 2 of us picked up each 80# plus brood box and moved them into my small 12’ x 12’ workshop at the other side of the house. I used spare hive tops for the bottom and the top when moving them to stabilize the colony. Seemed to work…
2 Likes
Sorry that you suffered so much damage. Hopefully the bees will recover after your efforts. I wish you and them all the best over the winter. 
1 Like
Thanks, this years damage has been the least I have had over the 12 years I have had bees, so I am happy about the fact that the whole hive was not torn apart. I believe that he was not very hungry that morning… It’s a known hazard when you live in a rural area that borders a forest and an old game trail passes the corner of your hive yard. 
There was only 1 frame, a plastic one, that was taken from the white super. You can see it in this pic. It’s base was not damaged so I will see if they will rebuild it next summer…
Note the density of the bees on the green box behind the white one. I was really happy to see that, as other times I have had bees all across the grass clinging to small pieces of frames that had been broken up from the bears chewing on the wax foundation to get the honey. The plastic frame seems to not satisfy their taste. Plastic foundation is another story!
1 Like
I am thinking that the modular nature of the Flow Frames was/is a blessing in this case as I have been looking at the possibility of reassembling the pieces…
1 Like
There are some great videos by Flow on how to do that. I guess the only other thing you would need is the tensioning wire. Hopefully you can find it in the long grass! 
1 Like
Eric, I am just setting up in Wcentral Virginia, where we have bear. I was wondering if you use deterrents such as electrified fence, and the motion sensing light/sound devices that Fred Dunn has suggested?
Harris
Yes I use an electric fence , Horse Surround brand, ~ 10,000 V, you can see the yellow insulators in the second last pic… I also have a large bear aggressive dog, Chow x, but we were away for the weekend… I had not thought about the motion sensor lights, it might even get the dog going… however the bears come around in the early AM or late PM based on the barking dogs in the neighbourhood… so might not trip the sensor…
Woof, the bear went through 10k volts? Maybe I should get a dog.
Check for Fred Dunn’s post – he describes a motion sensor operated device that not only strobes, but uses ultrasonic pulses. He links to a youtube he did (quite professional actually – Flow should hire him 
) that shows via a trail cam how effective it was with deer, raccoon, his dog, and even a squirrel. Might help when your bear dog and you are away…
BTW, when you have a bear or bears entering a ‘neighborhood’ can you not get the authorities to trap and move him/her? Or in Cariboo are they just too plentiful so that you just have to live with it?