{"id":3318,"date":"2022-09-14T11:42:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T15:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/?p=3318"},"modified":"2022-12-29T09:33:16","modified_gmt":"2022-12-29T14:33:16","slug":"bears-bees-electric-fence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beekeepingfornewbies.com\/bears-bees-electric-fence\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect Beehives From Bears
(How To Set Up An Electric Fence)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated on December 29th, 2022<\/p>\n

Bees and bears do not go well together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bears are attracted to beehives as a food source. In addition to honey, bears will eat bees, brood, and larvae which are excellent sources of protein. Honey bees attempt to defend their hives from bear attacks. However, bee stings are a weak deterrent against the bear’s thick skin and fur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An electric fence, while not 100% fail-safe, is the best way to protect beehives from bears. An electric fence requires an adequately powered charger and proper grounding to complete the electrical circuit. After a bear is shocked, an electric fence remains an intimidating psychological barrier.<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this article, we’ll discuss the challenges in protecting your hives from bears, how an electric fence works, and how to set up an electric fence to deter bears from your beehives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bear Damage To Beehives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bears are large, powerful animals with sharp claws and able to do a lot of damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a bear gets access to your hive it doesn’t simply lift the lid and gently take out a frame to devour the contents. In addition to destroying your bee population, a bear can wreck your hive boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we got our first hive I kept saying I had to look into how to protect the hive. Procrastination is not a good strategy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One morning we awoke to the scene pictured atop this article. The hive was completely apart and frames were strewn all over. The bees were amassed in the grass nearby. We recovered the bees and put the hive back together but there was more to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing it would take some time to get my act together for real protection, we strapped down the hive. Not long after, the bear paid another visit. (Once finding food, bears will return regularly.<\/strong>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This time, unable to get into the hive, it flipped the hive and its stand over. The hive remained intact but it seems that our queen was either killed in the incident or decided she’d had enough and skipped town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being newbies, it took us a while to figure out that the colony was queen-less. We lost the entire colony, forcing us to start over the following year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bears Can Climb<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I’m pretty sure you know that bears can climb. In case you didn’t though, here’s an example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melanie awoke one morning to some noises around 6 AM when I was out of town. She went to another bedroom to investigate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pulled open the curtains and was face-to-face with a bear outside the window<\/strong>…ON THE SECOND FLOOR<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This agile bear had climbed on top of an arbor in front of the house, attempting to access a hummingbird feeder. Melanie got some pictures as the bear scrambled down when she shooed it away (from safely inside the house).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Bear
Bear climbing down…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Bear
…and down…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Bear
…bear dancing?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The point is a simple fence will not keep bears away from your hives as they can scale it…or tunnel under it…or knock it down<\/strong>. If you place it in the wrong location they can also climb a tree and drop down into whatever enclosure you may have set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electric Fencing: The Best Way To Keep Bears Away <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While it’s not a guarantee, the best protection for your hives from bear intrusion is an electric fence. <\/strong>You could build an elevated platform (I thought about it) but it’s not particularly cost-effective or workable in my mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our second year, we realized we had to get an electric fence up BEFORE our bees arrived. Calling around, I found two types of fence installers…those that put up fencing but do not electrify it and those that will electrify a fence that I had already put up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I probably could have searched more but decided this was more likely to be a do-it-yourself project<\/strong>. You may have a different experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’ve never done it before, the idea of setting up an electric fence can seem daunting. Fear not!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get familiar with the workings of a fence and the parts you need. Putting it all together is not nearly as difficult as you might imagine.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How An Electric Fence Works<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A properly configured fence sends a pulsing charge through the wires. As a pulse, it delivers a sudden shock. Since it’s not a steady current, you won’t get stuck to it like in some cartoon imagery. The voltage is designed to sting but not cause permanent damage.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shock comes because your feet (or the bear’s paws) on the ground, combined with the touch of wire, complete a circuit. Electricity passes through you, giving the shock. Birds can land on the wires and not be shocked since they are not grounded to complete the circuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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With feet on the ground, touching the fence’s hot wire completes a circuit giving the bear a shock.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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How Electric Fencing Works<\/div><\/div>
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