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I'm intrigued with bees and all they do. I don't want to raise them but sure love to here from those who do. I like to here about splitting the hives creating new ones. I have a friend who has hives and gathers honey.
Well, I can tell a Bee story. Last year my husband and I hived 2 colonies. We spent a lot of time getting everything just right. It was really fun working with them-they were quite gentle bees, and their behavior was predictable. We got them in May, and in July we got just a taste of honey. But then a bear came and tore up one of the hives. We saved a lot of the bees and put the hive back together. Then we put a up a makeshift noise barrier to startle the bear. The barrier was cute in a rustic sort of way, but it didn't bother the bear. He came back two more times; we tried salvaging the colonies, but after the third assault what was left of them swarmed.
We are trying again this year. Three colonies to arrive in May. Wish us luck!
With Urban sprawl, the bears are too familiar to human tricks and sounds, even shotguns, to be scared. They are NOT looking for honey, like Winnie the Pooh. They are after a Protein snack, your young larve and pupa comb. They know when the time is right by the odor coming from the hives.
The only way to deter the bears is with electricity, and I don't mean the sissy cattle kind. High tensil wire on concreted posts from ground to 6 feet; every 6 inches with every other strand barbed wire, lit up with house current. They will climb a low fence with low current. Beekeeping is serious business. The cost of equipment and proper medication can break you. You don't want wildlife taking you to the poor house. Doc
