Bears
Because much of the prime bee forage in the United
States is wild or feral in nature, honey bee
colonies are often located in prime bear habitat.
This is particularly true in the northeast,
southeast and west. Black bear is a significant
predator on colonies and does a great deal of
mechanical damage to a colony. The key to avoiding
bear damage is a well-maintained electric fence.
The fence must be put up before colonies are located
in bear habitat, otherwise it often will not stop
depredations. Research suggests fences to have two
or more "hot" wires, one eight inches off the
ground, the other about forty inches high, with
perhaps a third in the middle. Woven wire is also
recommended for an inside fence and a wire mat about
two feet wide should be laid around the fence base.
Both fencing and mat should be connected to the
ground wire of the fence controller. Controllers
should be powerful enough to deliver 4,000 volts
with a current of 20 mA.
