Dave, you are right, the bear is likely coming back after such a good meal. Although in spring, bears are on the move and he may have just picked up this morsel on the way. It is much harder to deter a bear after he has learned there is a nice meal out there. An electric fence for one hive sounds pretty expensive to me! Why not salvage the hive (assuming there is anything to salvage) and bring it to a safe, bear-free environment? In any event, if you do put up a fence now, you want to make sure you apply the maximum zap to the bear when it does return. I suggest you put up the fence and place chicken wire on the ground just outside the fence. Make sure to ground the chicken wire well; if it is placed just on dry sandy soil you may not have enough grounding. Here in BC we have a very large population of bears and many beekeepers move colonies up in the mountains every summer for the fireweed. Properly operated bear fences are a must in keeping your colonies in one piece. good luck, Paul van Westendorp [log in to unmask] Provincial Apiarist