Bears destroyed it all

[GaryMinckler]

Totally bummed!!!  Everything destroyed.   Bees everywhere.  No spare equipment.  Two years of work gone just like that.  The gun is loaded and I'm gonna have me a bearskin rug!!!

[JP]

Good luck Bear huntin' Gary, you'll just have to set up a bear proof fence next time, sorry for your loss.


...JP

[Frantz]

Oh, Gary that just sucks. Just this morning I was reading your post to me about your first harvest? &^$& Must have happened today?? I am so sorry for your loss.
F

[poka-bee]

What an awful thing to happen, I'm so sorry for you & your bees!  Bears have been a problem in many parts of the country this year.  An electric fence is in the future as well as a bearskin rug.  Again, so sorry for your loss, we all know how much work & emotional effort goes into our girls.  Jody

[Robo]

The gun is loaded and I'm gonna have me a bearskin rug!!!

Be careful and think through before you react.   Taking a bear out of season and dealing with the DEP/DEC can be far worse of a mess than loosing your hives. Actually trying to deal with them about the issue even if you didn't shoot the bear is just about useless too. I know what your going thru, been there myself.  Sometimes it is just best to chalk it up to learning, move on and get an electric fence.  Or at least make it appear that way, if you know what I mean ;)

[bmacior]

Contact the Fish and Game Dept.  They may pay you for your losses. :'(

[bassman1977]

Contact the Fish and Game Dept.  They may pay you for your losses

Don't hold your breath on getting much back.  My dad lost 4 hives to a bear a few years back.  He received $35.  I think it was the PA Department of Agriculture that he had to contact.

[GaryMinckler]

It's open season on bears right now in New York state so taking a bear is legal.  Should I ever use fr ames and foundation that have been licked clean by a bear.  Destroy them or sterilize them some how. An electric fence is now a top priority if I want bees.  Never seen a bear here in 25 years.  That goldenrod honey really did have a strong aroma.

[bassman1977]

An electric fence is now a top priority if I want bees.  Never seen a bear here in 25 years.

Apparently once a bear finds hives, it will return to look for more.  I would definitely get a electric fence up before getting more bees.

[KONASDAD]

NJ will replace hives destroyed by game animals, including bear(although not presently hunted). What i find a little bit distrtessing is there is no requirement to have a bear fence even after the first destruction.