Muses wrote:
BACON!
Just like the comericals... hang a piece on the juiced up fencing and they
will learn quickly.

I keep livestock on our farm behind electric fence in certain areas. I have
noticed a tendency to move forward instead of backup when shocked when the
animal is not trained to electric fence.

 I believe the same happens many times with bears.

A bear fence needs to be able to resist the forward push of a bear . The
bacon has worked with some bears but when a bear learns he can simply push
through a fence and his fur will keep him from being shocked only a strong
fence will protect the bee hives.

I grew up with a guy which could grab an electric fence and hold on for a
minute. He won many bets. Money was his motive and the bears is honey.

The electric fence charger pulsates its charge to keep from killing
livestock so the bear gets a shock, then rest, then shock. I have seen bear
fence hooked to 110 to eliminate the pulse but believe doing so is illegal.

I have seen in remote farms 110 fence set up to control large livestock. You
or I might not be able to let go easily of a 110 line but a 2500 pound Bull
Buffalo can.

Many northern beekeepers which have had to trap and transport the bear (or
use other extreme measures) to stop certain bears from getting into bee
yards pass an electric fence.

All bears are different. Many a single shock is enough but for others the
electric fence will not detour the bear. Especially when food sources are
low in the area.

Many times the conservation department will help trap and transport a
problem bear (as they know the beekeeper will only put up with the bear so
long). Problem bears doing havoc to bee yards in the Northwest seem to
simply disappear. The beekeeper seems as puzzled as the conservation
department at the disappearance of the problem bear.

Homer Park told me years ago that they trapped and moved many a bear when
they were running around 4,000 hives in Canada before the border closing.
Homer used truck boom loaders at the time and loaded and unloaded the huge
traps with his boom loaders.

Many funny stories I have heard of upset bears upon their release and of
scared beekeepers running to the truck after climbing up on the trap to
release the bear and jumping and running to the supposed safety of the bee
truck.

 I believe the traps they used are pictured in the article about the
Wooten's done within the last ten years (in Bee Culture I believe).

Bob

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