Bears and bees

[Wandering Man]

Glad we don't have a bear problem in South Texas.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/07/10/black-bear-boom-beekeepers-michigan/464733001/

[Bakersdozen]

The philosophy of "shoot, shovel, and shut up" could be exacerbating the problem. The actual numbers of bears could be higher than predicted.  I never did figure out what agency was DNR.

[Perry]

DNR = Department of Natural Resources.

[yukonjeff]

Bears here are not tolerated near the village. We have mostly brown, but a few blacks and an occasional lost polar bear near here.

So far this summer there have been three browns shot in, or near the village.
I am going to give them guys a jar of honey if I get a crop..

[apisbees]

Jeff do you have a bear fence around your hives? or a few big noisy out side dogs? I have seen hives hit by bears in areas that are more densely populated by people, dogs, and houses than where you are. flying bees attract the attention of bears and they will follow them back to the hives.

[riverbee]

we have black bears here therefore the solar fencer. the wisconsin dnr; (department of natural resources) will haul a wisconsin resident off to jail for shooting them. have to be a pretty good reason to shoot and kill .........and actually you go to jail and try to explain later through an attorney.......
(lots of dumb folks here in the country that shoot bears traveling through).

i have protected my hives after losing a number of them, (solar fencer) and a comical or not so comical way of trying to recover what the bears destroyed.
after the fence was installed we have fired a pistol in the air to get a persistent bears attention, and one time used a nerf gun to fire yellow balls at it.......  

my solar fencer runs about 13,000 volts or so and as soon as they hit it, they back off and are gone. 

[apisbees]

Here in BC the beekeeper can shoot a bear if it has gone after a hive. The farmer can shoot it if it is attacking his live stock. But the farmer can not shoot the bear if it is attacking hives belonging to a beekeeper that are on his property. Because the bees belong to the beekeepers only the beekeeper or conservation officer can shoot the bear.

[Jen]

Why can't the DNR simply relocate the bear?

Might the bear have cubs?

Are there too many bears to relocate?

[Some Day]

Jen,

In Wyoming the DNR does relocate bears many, many miles away from the scene of the crime.  The relocated bear is tagged with a colorful ear tag, which is essentially his/her proof that they have been given one get out of jail free card.  If the tagged bear shows up again they are considered a nuisance bear and their get out of jail card is revoked, permanently. 

[yukonjeff]

Jeff do you have a bear fence around your hives? or a few big noisy out side dogs? I have seen hives hit by bears in areas that are more densely populated by people, dogs, and houses than where you are. flying bees attract the attention of bears and they will follow them back to the hives.

I am working on a fence, the ground was frozen still so having a tough time driving post. I will keep at it. I think I have all the stuff, for battery power fence. I can smell the hives drying honey now and the wind will surly bring one in sometime. I do have three noisy howling dogs nearby and that's worked so far. I will shoot if one gets near for sure.

Here we can shoot bears for defense of life or property, they pretty much shoot them for showing up in the village, the berries are out now so they are busy with salmon and berries, but later this fall they will be hungry again.

[riverbee]

"Why can't the DNR simply relocate the bear?

Might the bear have cubs?

Are there too many bears to relocate?"

jen, in short, relocating bears is not a simple process........in any state or province, whether they be black, brown or griz and each state or province has guidelines governing bear problems and removal of or what it takes to 'relocate' a bear. these guidelines vary.  it's also expensive and time consuming to relocate a problem bear.
our living (meaning where folks choose to build/live) has expanded, (including natural habitats for bears and other critters).....and  bears habitat has also expanded don't get me started.........
also, like every other critter on earth sometimes bears wander through when food sources are thin for them. 
where i am in wisconsin is natural bear habitat. bears wander through.  it's up to me to protect my livestock (the bees) from the bears.  the solar fencer does a pretty good job.  can't say that some of my neighbors watermelons and cantelopes survive........

i fun a little, but we do know of those who have lost livestock (primarily goats) to bears in years past.  having lost beehives to bears was enough to teach me.

[neillsayers]

I live in the middle of the bear woods. I have two coonhounds that have proven to be fairly useless as coon dogs, primarily due to their hatred of bears, that I keep around and they vigilantly make the bears very uncomfortable around the house. That and strong, hot fences have kept me pretty lucky.