Lots of good advise already given. Having had several run-ins with bears, I will add my two cents.
Consider a mesh electric fence. I buy mine from Premier Fence:
http://www.premier1supplies.com/
I still have the first one I bought over 12 years ago (finally changed out last year to a larger one to expand my apiary, but it still works). Got hit by a bear before I put one up, and the next night the bear had the scat shocked out of it, when it came back. Unfortunately, my dog found it before I did (exactly one bear-length from the fence) and rolled in it, but that's another story.
Fence worked fine, until the year I moved, got lazy and decided not to put it up. Another bear attack.
Worked fine at my current home, until the battery-operated charger failed without warning. Another bear attack.
Now, I run it with a Parmak 6-volt solar charger:
http://www.amazon.com/Parmak-DF-SP-LI-Impedance-Battery-Operated-25-Mile-Range/dp/B000BWZB74/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289839839&sr=8-1
If you really want to zap it, Parmak makes a 12-volt model, but it is considerably more expensive:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00099FAJI/ref=s9_simh_gw_p86_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0PK1029PDDMCRCXWG3WR&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846
Works great. I also leave the fence up year round, since bears can become active during a winter thaw. Down your way my guess is you need to leave it up and charged year round because bears stay active.
I know my fence is effective, because I see bear scat in my yard throughout the season, sometimes only 20 - 30 feet from the fence. The nice thing about it is that you don't need a grounding rod; the fence has one at each support post. Also, it shrugs off snow, since it is not rigid. And, it is a lot easier to set up (no permanent posts), and move, if you need to change locations or re-design your apiary. I've never had to bait it; the multiple hot wires (9 of them) are so close together that the bear cannot avoid hitting one. The fence also keeps out skunks and raccoons, so no other mammalian pests bother my hives.
That's it.
Bill
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Bill Greenrose
Claremont, NH
+43.35687 +43° 21’ 25”
-72.3835 -72° 23’ 01”
CWOP: D5065
Weather Underground: KNHCLARE3
HonetBeeNet: NH001
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