Several trail cameras have captured the images of black bears on the property. A large bear, in the early hours of the morning silently glided towards the creek. A mother and her babies were spotted at higher elevation. A teenage bear, curious about the building of our log home, was seen shyly observing us from the ridge. The arrival of our hives on bear territory reminds us that we are threading on their grounds and must be a BearWise property.
Some bears are so fond of larval bees and honey, that they will seek out hives in their home range. We look to the following steps to prevent bears coming in the apiary. Prevention steps include:
Locating beehives as far as possible from forest and brush that provide bears cover and travel routes. If bear activity is detected nearby, move apiaries to new locations.
Harvesting honey crops as soon as possible after the spring, summer and fall nectar flows. Bare hives reduce their appeal to foraging bears.
Installing and maintaining electric fences. Consolidate hives and then fence them in to form the smallest apiary that can be practically managed. The more scattered the hives are in large areas, the more difficult it is for beekeepers to protect them.