Do-It-Yourself Bear Fence

Bears can defeat most fences.

Both black bears and grizzly bears are native to the United States. Though human encounters with bears often make the news, bears are much more likely to attack your bee hives or apple trees than they are you. During their prime feeding season of late summer, they're driven to consume a massive number of calories every day to build up enough fat to carry them through winter hibernation. They'll tear down a flimsy fence to get at food, especially sweet treats such as honey and fruit. An electric fence is the most effective method of keeping out bears.

Things You'll Need

• Post-hole digger
• 4 wooden corner posts
• 4 bags quick-set concrete
• Shovel
• 4-foot metal fence posts
• Fence-post driver
• Plastic insulators
• Barbed wire
• Fence charger with battery or solar charger
• Wooden box
• Bacon

Instructions

1. Dig holes at least 12 inches deep at the corners of your proposed fence using the post-hole digger. Set the wooden corner posts in the holes. Mix the quick-set concrete with water, according to package directions. Fill the holes around the posts with the concrete mix and tamp down with a shovel. Let the posts sit for several hours or overnight to allow the concrete to harden.

2. Drive the metal posts into the ground with the fence-post driver. Set the posts 8 feet apart and drive them 12 to 18 inches into the ground. Attach plastic insulators to each post 8 inches, 18 inches, 30 inches and 42 inches from the ground.

3. String four strands of barbed wire onto the plastic insulators. The wire should not touch the metal posts, only the insulators.

4. Connect the charge wire of the fence charge to one or more wires on the fence. Ground the charger according to the directions supplied with the charger.

5. Cover the charger with a wooden box to protect it from the elements.

6. Hang bacon strips in several places on the fence. The Mid-Atlantic Apicultural Research and Extension Consortium recommends using this bait for a few days after you set up the fence to lure bears. When they try to take the bacon from the fence, they'll receive a shock, which will, you hope, make them inclined to leave the fence, and your bees or fruit, alone.

Tips & Warnings

• Hang warning flags on your top fence wires to help prevent people from accidentally walking into it.

• Do not allow any children or pets access to the fence area or they risk electric shock as well.

References

• Mid-Atlantic Apicultural Research and Extension Consortium: Bears and Bees
• Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conferences: Demonstration Electric Fences to Control Black Bears