Campbell's Honey

Honeybees, it seems, are plagued with predators, both large mammals and microscopic Tracheal Mites.  But the largest and most evident bee predator is the Black Bear, which has been roving Southern Ontario since before the first settlers arrived. When I began keeping bees about thirty years ago, we seldom saw a bear or experienced  damage in the bee yards.  Although there have always been areas that were prone to bear damage, we were usually able to out guess the bear 95% of the time.

That all changed about 10 years ago when the Black Bears became far more prevalent during the summer months. We were getting hit so often, it was difficult to carry on. We tried every method we could think of. One hobby beekeeper set his 2 colonies of bees close to his house and put the tractor's front-end loader down over them, which effectively defeated the Bear. This solved his problem, but would not work in a professional situation. Another apiarist put his bees in his barn and locked the door, but the bear smashed in the door and smashed up the hives.

Then American technology (made in China) came to our rescue in the form of a reliable solar-powered electric fencer. Beekeepers soon learned that 3 strands of electric wire stretched around the beeyard would keep the bees safe. The bear soon learned that touching his bare nose on the charged wire, would send an electric current through his body, to his 4 bare feet, and into the ground. The resulting electric shock was great enough to teach him the facts of life in a definite hurry. Today we seldom have any bear damage to the hives, but every bee yard must be protected at all times with an operating electric battery.

Black bears are very specialized, and some of the most successful creatures in the wild. When a mother bear with cubs comes upon an unprotected bee yard she breaks up several colonies to get at the honey. The cubs (without the thick hair of their mother) would stay back, out of deference to the bees, which were furiously stinging everything that moved or smelled  like bear.  Mother bear solves this dilemma by picking up a honey-box and walking on her hind legs, as far as 100 yards to get away from the angry bees, so the cubs could eat. A bear can digest anything it can swallow, and if hungry enough they will eat the wooden frames along with the honey. The frames are strengthened with wire, and the bear will swallow the wire along with the honey and wood. A few days later the strong acid in the bear's stomach will have dissolved the wire.

Beekeepers Prepare For Spring Pollination

A hive of honeybees contains anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 worker bees, plus hundreds of drones, (male bees) and only one queen, yet it's a single colony. The Apiarist (beekeeper) and the bees, both recognize the colony as a single entity. Honey bees are always on the alert to protect their home from attack, whether it be from a bear, skunk, or a human with a sweet tooth.

When the colony is threatened, hundreds soldier bees fly out, in total disregard for their personal lives, and thinking only to save the colony sting the intruder to chase it away. If the attack was successfully thwarted, the bees that staved off the attack will certainly die, as their stingers remain in the body of the attacker, and are torn from their abdoman as they fly off.

That the bees recognize the colony as a single entity, is proven by the fact that if a single bee, or a small number of the insects, are attacked or threatened while away from the colony, not one bee comes rushing to the rescue. Single Bees are dispensable, but the colony as a whole is not.

 

 

The air was sharp, and the breeze cool, as I pulled my white bee-suit over my boots and blue jeans. It was close to 9 am, on this, the traditional first day of the 2009 Honey season. I was wondering how many colonies had survived the winter, as I tested the bear fence, ( 3 strands of electric wire strung around the yard to deter hungry Black Bears) After Lighting the Bee Smoker I stepped over the electric wire and began opening and unwrapping the Hives.