I wrote ahumor tainted comment a while back about lion dung and bears. It
seems as though the subject will not resolve its self so I will comment in
a more serious manner.
        In Alaska the bears are at the top of the food chain,that means
they will eat anything that they feel like eating including lions .(which
there are none) Being unfamiliar with them would not cause them fear
because in this environment bears are boss. In another environment with a
different type of bears who knows. It would seem that in order to answer
the question we need to study the environment to see how all the pieces fit
togather. Once again the answer is probably dependant upon location. I will
say this,The bears I know and love will not easily be discouraged.  Chain
link fences will work ,build it as a cage to keep your bees inand bears
out. the bees do not like flying through it though so make it so the bees
can fly over it. On the beaches in the fish camps smoke houses are sometime
a pole  structure covered with burlap and then covered with chicken wire.
The chicken wire gets under their claws and between their teeth and they
dont like it so they leave it alonre after a while.  Maybe a chicken wire
structure around the hives would work. What can you lose, try it and tell
us what happened.
 
Best luck Jerry Fries