Large Mammal Pests

Large mammals such as bears, badgers and wild boar can destroy many hives in a single night in the areas where they live. An animal that has once fed from an apiary comes back; this is why measures must be taken before an attack. In bear areas the most effective and widespread solution is a correctly installed electric fence that is kept working at all times.

Why do they come?

The target is not only honey. Brood and adult bees are a protein-rich food and are at least as attractive as honey. This is why hives can be targeted even at times when there is no honey. Once an animal learns where it can find easy food, it comes back again and again unless measures are taken.

Which animal, which signs?

Identifying the animal causing the damage correctly is the first step in choosing the right measure. When you arrive at the apiary in the morning, look for the following:

Gnawed combs inside the hive, nesting material accumulated over winter and droppings, on the other hand, are signs not of a large mammal but of rodents such as mice and rats; against these, a mouse guard (perforated entrance guard) is fitted to the entrance in autumn.

Electric fence

In areas with bears it is the most effective and most widespread solution. It is also used against badgers and wild boar. To be effective:

• Enclose the whole apiary. A single open side makes the whole fence useless.
• Set the wire spacing for the target animal. Use several rows of wire; the lowest wire must be close enough to the ground that badgers and boar cannot pass under it. For the measurements, follow the recommendations of the fence manufacturer and experienced beekeepers in your area.
• Earth it correctly. On dry, stony ground poor earthing lowers the current so much that it cannot deter the animal.
• Clear the vegetation. Grass and branches touching the wire leak the current to the ground.
• Check regularly. Check the battery or solar panel, the voltage and the wires frequently. A fence that does not work is not a fence.
• Install it before an attack. In migratory beekeeping the fence must be put up on the same day the hives are unloaded.

The fence works by the animal getting a shock on a sensitive spot such as its nose and associating the apiary with pain. An animal that has once got in and fed through a fence without current is much harder to deter afterwards.

Other measures

• Site selection: Stay away from known animal trails, forest edges and stream beds. Ask local people and other beekeepers about bear movements in the area.
• Secure the hives: Strap the boxes to each other and to the stand. Strapping does not stop a bear, but it makes it harder for badgers, boar and grazing animals to knock the hive over.
• Use stands: A hive raised off the ground makes it harder for a badger to reach the entrance.
• High platforms and tree hives: In some regions hives are placed on high platforms or hung in trees; traditional tree-hive beekeeping in the eastern Black Sea region of Türkiye also serves to protect against bears.
• Reduce sources of smell: Do not leave extraction leftovers, wax, broken comb, empty supers or spilled syrup in the apiary.
• For grazing animals: A simple wire or fence is usually enough.

What to do after an attack

1. Do not go to the apiary alone or at dusk, especially in bear country.
2. Photograph the damage; record the signs and the number of hives knocked over.
3. Gather up the colonies that can be saved: put intact frames into new boxes, check the queen, reduce the entrances.
4. Clear up scattered comb and honey remains; they draw the animal back and start robbing.
5. Take action the same night: put up a fence or move the apiary. An animal will very probably return to an apiary left unprotected.
6. Report the damage to the local agriculture authority and the nature conservation authorities. If you have hive insurance, check whether your policy covers wildlife damage and notify the insurer in good time.

Legal status and safety

Many wild animals, above all the brown bear, are protected; killing, injuring or poisoning them is an offence. Poisoned bait and traps also endanger other animals, dogs and people.

An encounter with a bear is a serious risk to life. In bear areas do not go to the apiary alone, make noise as you approach, stay away from bears with cubs and from feeding bears, and follow the advice of the local authorities.