Last night, we had an unwelcome visitor. Clive, our semi-resident 400+ lb black bear, came to finish the job of demolishing our beehive (a job he started a few nights ago). We started our protection with a four foot high fence with a gate securing the hive, but that wasn't enough. The first night of terror, he tore the gate off the hinges and flung the super, brood box, and everything else about wherever he pleased. We were sad, but thought we might be able to save them. My husband jerry-rigged a new solution, which included zip ties and a metal fence panel attached to the remaining (wooden) fence.
This morning, we woke up to find the devastation was complete. Clive had warped the six foot high metal fence panel in his desperation to get the grubs and honey, and had flattened everything within a 20 foot radius, except the pond, which was already flat. Even the 2' tall round, which my husband had difficulty moving, had been upended in Clive's destructive mood.
Seriously, it was like Clive just saw red and went crazy. It was too cold to have the windows open last night, or I am sure we would have heard him...though I wouldn't really want to confront a bear as big as Clive is. He's no brown or Grizzly, but I would not want to come upon him in the night without some serious defense mechanisms.
I thought I didn't like deer...turns out I like bears even less. I would show pictures of the wreckage, but it would just make you sad.
According to other beekeepers in the area, an electric fence is the only thing that will keep Clive at bay.
So now I get to learn everything there is to know about electric fences and my husband's day will be taken up by installing one. I assure you, this is not how either of us wanted to spend our day today.
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