Author Topic: My first BEAR Attack (Read 7326 times)

BeeMaster2 · « **on:** June 11, 2018, 09:10:33 am »

I woke up this morning and looked out the window. At first I thought that I had left a bunch of frames and a box in the apiary. Then I noticed that the first hive is missing. The bear must have come through the fence right behind this hive because that is the way he went out. There are pieces of comb that fell out of a frame right behind the fence and frames scattered throughout the forest heading straight away from the fence.

Continued

eltalia · « **Reply #1 on:** June 11, 2018, 09:46:34 am »

So, a cub, or young skinny bear?

Asking as G&TTB tale is about all I know about bears beyond
our Koalas :-))

Bill

Van, Arkansas, USA · « **Reply #2 on:** June 11, 2018, 09:52:46 am »

Hey Jim, sorry about the hive. At least the bear only messed up, destroyed is more like it, one. I have to strap all my hives. A strap is only a deterrent, a focused bear would breach the strapped hive. Blessings

Beeboy01 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 11, 2018, 10:09:15 am »

That bear will be back until your hives are decimated. Have a friend over in Ormond who had a bear in his bee yard. It came back three or four times till he got an electric fence put up. By then he didn't have much to protect.
When you set up the electric fence hang a few pieces of bacon on it. he bear will chomp down on the bacon, get lit up by the fence and won't come back.
Luck with it.

VermontHoneyBee · « **Reply #4 on:** June 11, 2018, 10:48:25 am »

Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 11, 2018, 09:10:33 am

I woke up this morning and looked out the window. At first I thought that I had left a bunch of frames and a box in the apiary. Then I noticed that the first hive is missing. The bear must have come through the fence right behind this hive because that is the way he went out. There are pieces of comb that fell out of a frame right behind the fence and frames scattered throughout the forest heading straight away from the fence.

Continued

Oh no... We do have bears in my area and I am always looking at my hives wondering if they are still there. I have yet to put an electric fence....

I hope he/she does not come back

Acebird · « **Reply #5 on:** June 11, 2018, 12:44:10 pm »

Ah, Oh Jim. Might be time for electric fence. I didn't think bears would be a problem for you but you are in a nation forest.

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #6 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:02:18 pm »

Quote from: eltalia on June 11, 2018, 09:46:34 am

So, a cub, or young skinny bear?

Asking as G&TTB tale is about all I know about bears beyond
our Koalas :-))

Bill

Bill,
I think it was a young bear, probably less than 2 years old. It only took about 5 frames. I just bought a 5 mile electric fence controller that I am installing next.

Question,
I have a barb wire nailed to the wood fence. I am going to test the resistance to ground but does anyone know if there is a good reason not to use this wire?
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:04:12 pm »

Quote from: Van, Arkansas, USA on June 11, 2018, 09:52:46 am

Hey Jim, sorry about the hive. At least the bear only messed up, destroyed is more like it, one. I have to strap all my hives. A strap is only a deterrent, a focused bear would breach the strapped hive. Blessings

Thanks Van. I will be strapping them down this afternoon.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #8 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:06:55 pm »

Quote from: Beeboy01 on June 11, 2018, 10:09:15 am

That bear will be back until your hives are decimated. Have a friend over in Ormond who had a bear in his bee yard. It came back three or four times till he got an electric fence put up. By then he didn't have much to protect.
When you set up the electric fence hang a few pieces of bacon on it. he bear will chomp down on the bacon, get lit up by the fence and won't come back.
Luck with it.

Thanks for the reminder about the bacon. The bears coming back is why I already bought a strong electric fence this morning.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #9 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:09:54 pm »

Quote from: Acebird on June 11, 2018, 12:44:10 pm

Ah, Oh Jim. Might be time for electric fence. I didn't think bears would be a problem for you but you are in a nation forest.

Ace,
Yea, I have found bear tracks on my property before and my neighbor had pictures of one on his game camera last year. His property is right behind mine.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · « **Reply #10 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:20:11 pm »

Here are the rest of the pictures and a video. I did the reply earlier but I quess it did not post due to size. I cannot get the pictures of the frames to post but they are in the video.

https://youtu.be/j6QzWxtOe90
Jim

Acebird · « **Reply #11 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:31:55 pm »

Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 11, 2018, 01:02:18 pm

Question,
I have a barb wire nailed to the wood fence. I am going to test the resistance to ground but does anyone know if there is a good reason not to use this wire?
Jim

I would use the wire that is nailed to the fence as the ground and then run another wire through insulators as the conductor.

LizzieBee · « **Reply #12 on:** June 11, 2018, 01:57:32 pm »

I saw there was a frame that looked like it still had bees on it. Is it possible the queen is still there? Will you salvage what is left of the bees?

Lizzie

Van, Arkansas, USA · « **Reply #13 on:** June 11, 2018, 05:22:35 pm »

Ok Jim, an electric fence is a good idea. However how do you know the fence is working after installation. So here is what you do, a sure fire, no fail system:

First take your shoes and socks off, you must be absolutely BAREFOOTED.
Second, make sure no one is looking.
Third, now PEE ON THE FENCE to see if the fence is working and be sure to let us know.

Blessings

Acebird · « **Reply #14 on:** June 11, 2018, 05:31:04 pm »

Ouch Van! I recommend putting peanut butter on the conductor wire and seeing how many squirrels do a back flip. If that works you put bacon on the wire to train the bear.

Bamboo · « **Reply #15 on:** June 11, 2018, 05:32:54 pm »

Question,
I have a barb wire nailed to the wood fence. I am going to test the resistance to ground but does anyone know if there is a good reason not to use this wire?
Jim
[/quote]

Hi Jim
Do not use the barbed wire as your hot wire as it will be earthed and defeats the purpose of an electric fence. The hot wire must be insulated from the ground so when the bear touches it she/he earths out the wire and gets a shock. You should be able to buy out riggers that you can attach to your fence or stakes called "pig tails" which you put directly in the ground as a temporary fence. Most electric fence "wire" is usually plastic with a thread of wire running through it to conduct the electricity and is fairly inexpensive. Make sure you earth the unit properly otherwise you will get a" tick tick" sound that will come through your electricity system in the house. When I was running electric fences that sound told me that there was a short somewhere either a branch on the wire or a wire touching ground.
Good luck with it.
Cheers
Mark

eltalia · « **Reply #16 on:** June 11, 2018, 05:45:39 pm »

Quote from: sawdstmakr on June 11, 2018, 01:02:18 pm

Quote from: eltalia on June 11, 2018, 09:46:34 am
So, a cub, or young skinny bear?

Asking as G&TTB tale is about all I know about bears beyond
our Koalas :-))

Bill
Bill,
I think it was a young bear, probably less than 2 years old. It only took about 5 frames. I just bought a 5 mile electric fence controller that I am installing next.

Question,
I have a barb wire nailed to the wood fence. I am going to test the resistance to ground but does anyone know if there is a good reason not to use this wire?
Jim

Figured as much Jim given the restricted space available to drag a
bear arse through :-))

The barbwire will be good to go, miles of the stuff in this Country.
As to conductivity? Unless your're on very sandy country - which does
not appear so from the scene of the crime - again you're good to go.
Ground stake in a foot at the energiser is fine. Bare steel stake, watch
the rust factor as that builds fast in wetter soils once a current is set up.
And.
The wire to post leakage would be minimal in wet weather and overcome
anyway by slowing the pulse rate way down if you're concerned as to
running a battery set down because of poor insulation.

Not a helpfull thing them bears Jim, my commisserations.

Bill

eltalia · « **Reply #17 on:** June 11, 2018, 05:51:09 pm »

Quote

Jim
Do not use the barbed wire as your hot wire as it will be earthed and ....

Heads up Mark :-)))
Jim is a sparky of sorts, he knows his Ohms from his megOhms, his milliVolts
from his bear zap levels.
You're not know Jim's nonB'keep skills so your info is great generic advice. ;-)

Bill

Bamboo · « **Reply #18 on:** June 11, 2018, 06:35:35 pm »

Quote from: eltalia on June 11, 2018, 05:51:09 pm

Quote
Jim
Do not use the barbed wire as your hot wire as it will be earthed and ....

Heads up Mark :-)))
Jim is a sparky of sorts, he knows his Ohms from his megOhms, his milliVolts
from his bear zap levels.
You're not know Jim's nonB'keep skills so your info is great generic advice. ;-)

Bill

Oh Dear!! My bad

eltalia · « **Reply #19 on:** June 11, 2018, 06:57:02 pm »

Quote from: Bamboo on June 11, 2018, 06:35:35 pm

Quote from: eltalia on June 11, 2018, 05:51:09 pm
Quote
Jim
Do not use the barbed wire as your hot wire as it will be earthed and ....

Heads up Mark :-)))
Jim is a sparky of sorts, he knows his Ohms from his megOhms, his milliVolts
from his bear zap levels.
You're not know Jim's nonB'keep skills so your info is great generic advice. ;-)

Bill

Oh Dear!! My bad

All good Mark.
In another place I once questioned the ID of an insect, naming the post
as an instance of a wasp (photo). Unknown to me the poster was a
entomologist on salary looking for data on that bee subspecies.
So I had my arse handed me on a pie plate!!
Heh... all "character building" like ;-))))

Bill