Electric bear fence for bee hives

We installed an electric fence to keep bears and other animals away from our bee hives. This is just an overall video talking about what I did and why. Hope you enjoy.
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[@jillmondt5398]

Hi fellow. I have some suggestions, you may have done or learned otherwise, your fence charger joule capacity is too low. You need at least a . 75 output. Remember bear need that extra “punch”. Additionally it will be wise to move your solar panel fence charger unit and grounding to the “inside” of your fence. Bears will knock the array over and accidentally rip the wire from the grounding rod. Put any and all components that operate a solar powered fence inside it. This not only prevents a clever bear from disabling you fence but any squirrels or climbing rodents from poking around the powering array. I want to know you are successful at bee keeping. It is an honorable and rewarding endeavor.

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Hello! Thank you for the feedback. Yes, I have upgraded the charger to one that outputs 1.0 so it will have a good punch for any bears that might come by to say hello. As for the solar panel's location, since the apiary/fence line is mostly under the trees, I really need to keep the charger outside of the fence line in order for it to be able to charge. I'm hoping that if we ever do have a bear encounter that they are not very savvy and leave the charge controller alone.

[@jondeangelis7863]

I'd like to use wood posts. Can I assume these would be similar to plastic - that they don't conduct the elec charge from the posts?

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

There are plastic standoffs that isolated the wire from the t-posts

[@carlgillis3459]

Nice setup. I do have a question: I see on the controller that the output is 0.04 joule. Is that enough to scare away a big animal like a bear? I read that you need 0.7 to 1 joule for a bear. Am I misunderstanding something?

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Your information is correct. My controller is undersized for bears. I plan to upgrade it at and point in the future. We have a low probability of bears in my area. It's mostly to deter skunks and other small predators.

[@IDVDalot]

panel should be facing SOUTH

[@kimbieandi]

What do you call the yellow insulator handle you use to disconnect the fencing? I looked for it on Tractor Supply and can't find it

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

I ordered ours from Amazon. amzn.to/3Mq7LxU

[@jackieandmike2000]

Getting fancy with your video making! 😁 My question is: does Piper know to stay away from the electric fence?

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Piper listens well. We don't let her get near the apiary unless she is with us.

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Also, the special effects were Lulu's idea.

[@gotmilk9060]

u want your bees 2 or more meters away from the EMF because it adversely effects the bees life and production. EMF also makes them more aggressive.

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Thanks. I hadn't heard about the EMF issue before. I plan to reconfigure the fence this year anyway. I will certainly keep that in mind.

[@adventuresinhomeowningwith3127]

do you have a link to the fencing where you bought it?

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

I got most of the stuff from tractor supply. The actual wire was given to us, so I do not have a source for that.

[@mwarrenhall7099]

you don't have it ran properly for bears, the middle top wire needs to be ground....plus 2 mile charger is not strong enough for bear you need a 30 mile charger

[@jimreichert327]

put the controler unit inside the wires or the bear will knock it off stopping the power and getting in

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Great idea, I'm planning on moving the controller next spring anyway since it doesn't get as much sunlight as I hoped it would were it is now.

[@michaelpetersen4005]

Face panel SSW on S side of trees

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Thanks for the advice. I actually upgraded that panel a couple years ago and the new panel is facing that direction.

[@ragheadand420roll]

Cut off the zip tie ends with flush cutters

[@seanfried5583]

Who even knew they had electric bears in Virginia.

[@FreeRangeArtFarm]

Yup, the bears in northern Virginia are negatively charged electric bears. When they touch the positively charged fence it closes their circuit and gives them a good shock. It's pretty awesome.