Hi:
Bears are a problem in Montana, and our commercial beekeepers
occassionally have the Fish and Wildlife people remove a bear. But no
one likes having to either trap or shoot a bear.
Elaborate platforms, super shocker fences, etc. generally are not needed.
Our guys use the heavy duty, solar-powered fence chargers.
The ideas of foil coated with peanut butter, tuna cans, etc. on the wire
do help the bear get the idea. Tongues and noses are much more sensitive
than furry backsides.
However, the key to success is providing a good ground. In our semi-arid
climate, the soil gets so dry that the bear (or you and I) often gets
only a minor shock, even if a long rod has been hammered into the soil.
So, we do two things:
1) Alternate "hot" wires with "ground" wires in your fence
2) Provide a wire mesh ground all around the perimeter of your beeyard.
Just outside your electric fence, place a chicken wire, woven wire, or
similar fine mesh wire fence flat on the ground, parallel to your
electric fence.
Be sure to tie all of the "grounding" wires and mesh together and to the
ground side of your fence charger.
Now, when the bear approaches your fence, he is standing on a wire mat
and as he tries to poke his/her head through the fence, contact will
also be made between the ground wire of the fence and the hot wire (space
these wires close enough so as to ensure that the bear can't stick its
head through without hitting both wires).
Of these suggestions, the ground mat is the most important.
Finally, keep the weeds away from your "hot" wires, or else the system
will ground through them.
The fence mat idea and solar chargers were worked out between our
commercial folks and the Fish and Game folks years ago. It still seems
to be the best overall solution.
Hope this helps. None of this is new, but the talk of auto parts
"special" chargers, tall platforms, etc. seem like a more costly approach.
Cheers
Jerry Bromenshenk
The Unviersity of Montana
[log in to unmask]
http://grizzly.umt.edu/biology/bees
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