>I would appreciate sharing your training methods for both bears and skunks.

There is a large ranch here in *central* California (is that better?) that
makes the point that if one kills the predators, another predator of the
same species will quickly replace it.  Better to train the existing
predator, since many are territorial, and will drive newcomers off.  A
trained local predator is better than an untrained replacement.

For skunks, at the first sign of scratching in front of the hives, we
sprinkle about 1/2-1 tsp of lye crystals onto the scratched soil.  They
immediately absorb moisture (even on dry soil) and dissolve into the soil.
The skunks apparently don't like the taste of lye when they roll the bees
on the soil surface.  Some skunks will then shift to other hives, so we
repeat the process the next day, or next visit to the yard.  The second
training is usually enough--those skunks remain in the yard, eat dead bees
off the ground (judging from their scats), but stop scratching at the
entrances.

We often need to repeat after rains, but once trained, the skunks don't
need to be retrained often.  We run 45 yards of bees, all with skunks, and
only use about 1 small container of lye a season to control skunks.    It
really works like a charm!

Bears are a bit more expensive to train, and I can only speak from
experience regarding the black bears of the Sierra Nevada (which can get
pretty large and hungry).  Bears really don't like getting electric shocks
through their bodies.  What you want to do is to train them so that their
first experience with a zap is to their nose right through their body to
their bare feet.  The jolt through the heart is memorable--try it yourself!

We set up two hot wires, using highly visible white poly twine, with spring
tensioners so that deer don't break the fence.  I've posted plans and
photos to:
http://scientificbeekeeping.com/scibeeimages/Bear-Fence-PDF.pdf
The design illustrated is the result of many years' worth of experience in
fencing out bears, and based upon having tried all kinds of designs and
details, and numerous failures and learning experiences.

We often set up fences following the first bear depredation (as the bear
population increases, areas that formerly did not have bears now have
them).  We know that the bear will usually return the next night.  So we
set up the fence and hang lunchmeat, bacon, or chicken bones from the twine
at each corner of the fence, so that the bear's first experience will be a
shock to the nose when he sniffs the bait.  From that point on, he will
avoid the white wire like the plague.

This only works if the soil is electrically conductive.  So we always test
with either a digital tester, or a blade of grass.  During our bone-dry
summer, we either dampen the soil if water is available, or roll out a 2-ft
strip of chicken wire, grounded to the driven ground.  It is critical that
the bear's first shock is a good one.

We also have good luck with running a single hot wire 6" above steel field
fence, again grounding the field fence wire.  But a clever bear may simply
rip the field fence out to get under the hot wire.

Clever bears will also sometimes dig under the lower hot wire (chicken wire
solves), or reach underneath and carefully drag a hive out (this happened
at two yards last week--same bear).  We simply moved the hives back
slightly from the fences.  Also make sure that there are no ungrounded
accesses--in one case we ran a fence over a boulder, and in another case
over a pallet.  In both cases a bear used the ungrounded "bridge" to get in.

Our bear pressure has increased greatly over the past 15 years or so.  We
see scat and pawprints constantly, and lose hives if we are sloppy with our
fences.  Surprisingly though, even if we forget to turn the fence back on
after a visit, the bears are so wary of the white hot wire that they still
typically leave the hives alone.

--
Randy Oliver
Grass Valley, CA
www.ScientificBeekeeping.com

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