My hives were ransacked by a bear on May 5.  Living fairly close to the
Betterbee store, I drove there to buy a Critter Gitter for protection from
bears on the morning of May 6.  The Betterbee web site says "whether your
hives are being tampered with by bears, raccoons . this . device can help .
with ear-piercing siren and flashing lights."

 

Did the Critter Gitter work?  It shrieked and formidably when I tested it.
But on the first night (May 6), the bear came back and attacked again,
completely unfazed by the Critter Gitter.  On the next night (May 7), he
came back again.  Having cleaned out two hives, he took a few weeks off.  I
picked up two more packages of bees on May 28 at Betterbee, and that same
night, he attacked again, ransacking two more hives.  During all of this
time, the Critter Gitter worked perfectly, shrieking and flashing.  This did
not deter the bear one bit.

 

Now I sleep with one eye open, with a flashlight handy to shine on the hives
when the Critter Gitter goes off and a .30 carbine to fire in the air.  The
light and the gunshots have so far prevented more damage.

 

The bottom line: DON'T BUY A CRITTER GITTER FOR A REMOTE HIVE LOCATION.  It
won't deter a bear.  It only works if you use it for an alarm and are
willing to get out of bed in the middle of the night "armed for bear."

 

Jeff Hills

Dorset, VT


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