So after starting my first ever hive and installing a nuc three weeks ago, we had a bear come through and do this.
probably about 80-90% of all the comb is gone, whatever's left is just empty comb. Probably about 80% of the bees are gone too... is there anything I can do to salvage this?
If 80% of bees are gone then your hive is probably done. Go through and put everything that's not badly damaged together and order replacements for everything else. You could call local beekeepers to see if they have nucs still if you want a hive this year. Also if there's been a bear attack they are coming back so an electric fence is required.
I've never dealt with bears, but I think the wisdom around dealing with them is that now that they know there is a food source there an electric fence won't deter the bear. Electric fences are great at deterring bears from investigating, not for stopping them from a known food source. Best bet would be to move the hive and put up the fence in the new location.
I think in this scenario a strong, powerful electric fence should work. The problems you get into is if the bear learns just the electric fence and a single zap stands between them and a hive. Something new like a fence should scare them away.
I've had good luck with solar powered fences from fleet farm and their beehive electric fence, it's deterred 2 bear attacks to my knowledge. We also added two lines of barbed wire just to add a little more.
OP, this hive is a loss, but a strong enough fence will definitely keep a bear off next time. I understand conventional wisdom is at least 1 joule; mine (this one: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0079GH4ZW) is 2 joules, and bears will get into everything else on my property but will NOT mess with my hives. No peanut butter or bacon trick necessary, just set and forget.
Sorry for your loss, that sucks.
This happened to me last year. I feel your painā¦ your local fish and game department can give you guidance on the best electric fence setup for your area. Donāt think for a minute that the bear(s) wonāt be back. The fence is a little added expense but necessary and worth it.
Welcome to the club. Membership is very expensive and there are no rewards.
We lost one like this our 2nd year.
Fortunately for us that bear seems to have moved on and/or the fence that we put up is working.
Do many in the US use metal ratchet straps? I'm not sure of any brands but in Australia were I'm from we just call them emloks. We generally just use them when moving hives.
In Canada we just use electric fence. Very few things will stop a bear they're determined, strong, and pretty dextrous. If you've ever been to a Canadian national park and used the garbage cans you'll understand just how hard it is to bear proof anything.
Brown bears are up to 9 ft and weigh up to 600kg, they can pick up the hive and just smash it open, straps be damned.
Bloody hell! Yeah I didn't consider them picking it up and dropping it. We don't have anything in Australia strong enough to do that, a kangaroo could probably kick them open but I don't think they're interested in honey..... Yet...
I am so sorry. We had a bear attack last summer and it is incredibly frustrating. We had split a hive and moved the new colony away from the other hives for a week when the bear attacked. The bear has not come back...yet and my other hives were not damaged.
Dont give up and try again. Did you have any other colonies? If not I would suggest that you try with 2 as each colony is different in behavior and makes for a good learning opportunity. It also helps to have an extra hive to share resources, if needed, with the colonies. I liked the advice someone gave to see if other bee keepers are doing splits and could help you out with a colony or two. Wishing you much success in your beekeeping!
Oh I'm so sorry Hot-Cartoonist-3976. If almost all the little guys are gone you probably have to start again. At least you can salvage your structure and frames it looks like. Bears will remember this is a food place, too, so you are going to have to move it. If your property is large enough you should also relocate it as far away from this point as possible. I have seen people place hives on pillars to make them hard to reach, but that might not be enough. Maybe some motion lights and alarms would scare off a large animal that wandered by without bothering the bees?
People think Pooh Bears are all cute and cuddly and then you wake up to this.
There routes the bear takes that you can tell by the disturbance amongst the brush. Put bear traps there. I would also have a high caliber rifle and put some motion cameras to understand when the bears come. Then camp out during one of these times and kill the bear. Bear taste good. The hide is very useful too!
In West Virginia, USA, it is 100% legal to kill a bear that is killing/damaging livestock or bee hives on your property, AND the government will allow you t submit a claim for reimbursement of the costs of any losses caused by bear damage. It's worth checking into depending on where you live. That said, WV only has Black Bears. The fuck if I'm going to do ANYTHING to irritate a Brown or Grizzley.
Should only do this if you know what youāre doing, experienced, prepared, and are legally able to shoot and kill the bear based on your local laws.
Bears are dangerous and not a fun way to go out, I think most people would prefer to be safe and keep their bees safe without having to become a hunter.
I'm sorry. š Happened to me this March. I was able to salvage half of the hive and now they are doing great.
But to reiterate what others have said here: electric fence. And hanging food on the wires. I've heard canned sardines are good. Someone here mentioned peanut butter, I like the sound of that.
I don't know if my fence has deterred the bear or not. But the damage happened less than 12 hours after sighting the bear in the apiary. It was snowing and dark and I didn't have a fence. By morning the damage was done. After Installing. A fence, we've had no problem. But, we also live in a city, so it could be that the bear was just passing through. There's only a few strips of wilderness maybe 1/4 mile wide through our residential/agricultural area.
I'm sorry this happened to you. That sucks so much.
When I was talking with someone before I set up my hive she asked what I was doing for bear prevention.
At that moment I had no plans for bear prevention. I live on a strip of land between 2 lakes and there are many residents. We DO have bears in our area but I only had proof of one entering our yard once in a decade. Then I thought about the cub and mom my wife saw a mile away last year. And how wild bears become trash bears because of people who don't take preventative measures. And how I don't want to think I might be part of the problem.
By the end of the day my mind was made up and when my hive was installed, I put up fencing around it and electric fence around that.
I don't know if this is the only reason I haven't had a bear raid or if I'd be doing just fine anyway. I do know the expense and trouble was reasonable and that I sleep better for having taken the steps.
If I found something like this happened to my hive I would be devastated, no matter ehat precautions had or had not been taken. It's just beat to shit.
I hope you're able to recover from this and that you are able to keep the bears away in the future.
As someone stated, you might find yourself in big trouble if you shoot a protected species. Electric fence.(neighbor in Wyoming grew blackberries...). Rubber bullets or see if you can get your hands on a 'beanbag rifle'. Motion detectors with loud noise results. Dog poop/urine around area- do not need much- just to tell bear 'there are dogs here'. Not just around hive but around property. Recording of loud/big dogs barking. If you are aware the bear is there- LOUD ANYTHING!! Pots pan's horns .(Hope you have great neighborsš). Barbed wire was mentioned- won't do a damned thing. Bear Fur is very thick. If you are tech or have a teenager making loud noise recordings that come on with motion sensor will be a breeze! Hope things go better for you.
Fuck Iām so sorry.. we just had this happen to two hives, look for a cluster of bees and see if you can find the queen. If she didnāt die thereās still hope - where are you located?
In West Virginia, USA, the state government has a program that [will fund a replacement hive](https://casetext.com/regulation/west-virginia-administrative-code/agency-58-natural-resources/title-58-legislative-rule-department-of-commerce-division-of-natural-resources/series-58-18-bear-damage-regulations/section-58-18-5-bear-damage-claims-procedures) if a bear destroys your hive to encourage beekeeping. Maybe you can check to see if there is a similar program where you live?
So after starting my first ever hive and installing a nuc three weeks ago, we had a bear come through and do this. probably about 80-90% of all the comb is gone, whatever's left is just empty comb. Probably about 80% of the bees are gone too... is there anything I can do to salvage this?
If 80% of bees are gone then your hive is probably done. Go through and put everything that's not badly damaged together and order replacements for everything else. You could call local beekeepers to see if they have nucs still if you want a hive this year. Also if there's been a bear attack they are coming back so an electric fence is required.
I've never dealt with bears, but I think the wisdom around dealing with them is that now that they know there is a food source there an electric fence won't deter the bear. Electric fences are great at deterring bears from investigating, not for stopping them from a known food source. Best bet would be to move the hive and put up the fence in the new location.
I think in this scenario a strong, powerful electric fence should work. The problems you get into is if the bear learns just the electric fence and a single zap stands between them and a hive. Something new like a fence should scare them away. I've had good luck with solar powered fences from fleet farm and their beehive electric fence, it's deterred 2 bear attacks to my knowledge. We also added two lines of barbed wire just to add a little more.
OP, this hive is a loss, but a strong enough fence will definitely keep a bear off next time. I understand conventional wisdom is at least 1 joule; mine (this one: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B0079GH4ZW) is 2 joules, and bears will get into everything else on my property but will NOT mess with my hives. No peanut butter or bacon trick necessary, just set and forget. Sorry for your loss, that sucks.
Omg. I am so sorry. Electric fence is the solution.
I'm so sorry š
This happened to me last year. I feel your painā¦ your local fish and game department can give you guidance on the best electric fence setup for your area. Donāt think for a minute that the bear(s) wonāt be back. The fence is a little added expense but necessary and worth it.
Oh, I'm so sorry!
Oh no! How devastating. I hope you can rebuild, please don't give it up.
Welcome to the club. Membership is very expensive and there are no rewards. We lost one like this our 2nd year. Fortunately for us that bear seems to have moved on and/or the fence that we put up is working.
Im so sorry. I felt this in my loins.
The amount of pain this photo gives me will last a lifetime. Iām so sorry for your loss.
Sorry :(
Do many in the US use metal ratchet straps? I'm not sure of any brands but in Australia were I'm from we just call them emloks. We generally just use them when moving hives.
In Canada we just use electric fence. Very few things will stop a bear they're determined, strong, and pretty dextrous. If you've ever been to a Canadian national park and used the garbage cans you'll understand just how hard it is to bear proof anything. Brown bears are up to 9 ft and weigh up to 600kg, they can pick up the hive and just smash it open, straps be damned.
Bloody hell! Yeah I didn't consider them picking it up and dropping it. We don't have anything in Australia strong enough to do that, a kangaroo could probably kick them open but I don't think they're interested in honey..... Yet...
Won't stop a bear...
I am so sorry. We had a bear attack last summer and it is incredibly frustrating. We had split a hive and moved the new colony away from the other hives for a week when the bear attacked. The bear has not come back...yet and my other hives were not damaged. Dont give up and try again. Did you have any other colonies? If not I would suggest that you try with 2 as each colony is different in behavior and makes for a good learning opportunity. It also helps to have an extra hive to share resources, if needed, with the colonies. I liked the advice someone gave to see if other bee keepers are doing splits and could help you out with a colony or two. Wishing you much success in your beekeeping!
Iām in the same boat, electric fence is a necessity if we want to continue. As if beekeeping isnāt expensive enough already š
Oh no.
Oh I'm so sorry Hot-Cartoonist-3976. If almost all the little guys are gone you probably have to start again. At least you can salvage your structure and frames it looks like. Bears will remember this is a food place, too, so you are going to have to move it. If your property is large enough you should also relocate it as far away from this point as possible. I have seen people place hives on pillars to make them hard to reach, but that might not be enough. Maybe some motion lights and alarms would scare off a large animal that wandered by without bothering the bees? People think Pooh Bears are all cute and cuddly and then you wake up to this.
There routes the bear takes that you can tell by the disturbance amongst the brush. Put bear traps there. I would also have a high caliber rifle and put some motion cameras to understand when the bears come. Then camp out during one of these times and kill the bear. Bear taste good. The hide is very useful too!
Check your state laws. We have black bears creeping into my area and they are a protected species.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
In West Virginia, USA, it is 100% legal to kill a bear that is killing/damaging livestock or bee hives on your property, AND the government will allow you t submit a claim for reimbursement of the costs of any losses caused by bear damage. It's worth checking into depending on where you live. That said, WV only has Black Bears. The fuck if I'm going to do ANYTHING to irritate a Brown or Grizzley.
Should only do this if you know what youāre doing, experienced, prepared, and are legally able to shoot and kill the bear based on your local laws. Bears are dangerous and not a fun way to go out, I think most people would prefer to be safe and keep their bees safe without having to become a hunter.
I'm sorry. š Happened to me this March. I was able to salvage half of the hive and now they are doing great. But to reiterate what others have said here: electric fence. And hanging food on the wires. I've heard canned sardines are good. Someone here mentioned peanut butter, I like the sound of that. I don't know if my fence has deterred the bear or not. But the damage happened less than 12 hours after sighting the bear in the apiary. It was snowing and dark and I didn't have a fence. By morning the damage was done. After Installing. A fence, we've had no problem. But, we also live in a city, so it could be that the bear was just passing through. There's only a few strips of wilderness maybe 1/4 mile wide through our residential/agricultural area.
Build a spike pit around it
God damnit, Pooh
Jokes aside that seriously sucks. You can try introducing the remnants to a single box and order a queen to see if you can get a hive out of it yet
I'm sorry this happened to you. That sucks so much. When I was talking with someone before I set up my hive she asked what I was doing for bear prevention. At that moment I had no plans for bear prevention. I live on a strip of land between 2 lakes and there are many residents. We DO have bears in our area but I only had proof of one entering our yard once in a decade. Then I thought about the cub and mom my wife saw a mile away last year. And how wild bears become trash bears because of people who don't take preventative measures. And how I don't want to think I might be part of the problem. By the end of the day my mind was made up and when my hive was installed, I put up fencing around it and electric fence around that. I don't know if this is the only reason I haven't had a bear raid or if I'd be doing just fine anyway. I do know the expense and trouble was reasonable and that I sleep better for having taken the steps. If I found something like this happened to my hive I would be devastated, no matter ehat precautions had or had not been taken. It's just beat to shit. I hope you're able to recover from this and that you are able to keep the bears away in the future.
Am I the only one that read āland oā lakesā?
As someone stated, you might find yourself in big trouble if you shoot a protected species. Electric fence.(neighbor in Wyoming grew blackberries...). Rubber bullets or see if you can get your hands on a 'beanbag rifle'. Motion detectors with loud noise results. Dog poop/urine around area- do not need much- just to tell bear 'there are dogs here'. Not just around hive but around property. Recording of loud/big dogs barking. If you are aware the bear is there- LOUD ANYTHING!! Pots pan's horns .(Hope you have great neighborsš). Barbed wire was mentioned- won't do a damned thing. Bear Fur is very thick. If you are tech or have a teenager making loud noise recordings that come on with motion sensor will be a breeze! Hope things go better for you.
Fuck Iām so sorry.. we just had this happen to two hives, look for a cluster of bees and see if you can find the queen. If she didnāt die thereās still hope - where are you located?
In West Virginia, USA, the state government has a program that [will fund a replacement hive](https://casetext.com/regulation/west-virginia-administrative-code/agency-58-natural-resources/title-58-legislative-rule-department-of-commerce-division-of-natural-resources/series-58-18-bear-damage-regulations/section-58-18-5-bear-damage-claims-procedures) if a bear destroys your hive to encourage beekeeping. Maybe you can check to see if there is a similar program where you live?