An electric fence to deter brown bears (Ursus arctos)? The question may surprise some people, however beekeepers have been successfully protecting their beehives against destruction by bears in the Austrian state of Carinthia or in neighbouring Slovenia for years. It's a different story in Romania, where the bear population is estimated at more than 8,000 and contains many experienced old bears against whom such defensive measures are of little use.
Bears mainly only go for beehives in cool, wet weather. These pests are very well aware about the bees’ defences and do not their stings at all. Damage therefore usually occurs in the spring and autumn, only rarely in summer and, if it does, usually on a very cool morning or if the bears are extremely hungry.
This results in the following advice:
if you hear reports of a bear in the neighbourhood, you can quickly install a quasi-provisional electric fence using
AKO plastic posts (at intervals of 5 to 8 m) with three
AKO wires affixed to it at heights of around 20 cm, 50 cm and 70 to 80 cm (corresponding to the posts). On slopes, a fourth current-carrying wire at a height of around 120 cm is recommended.