Beekeeping/Pollination Services - Looking for land

[GoldenLakePete]

Years ago there were 2 bee keeping set ups in the Marlborough Forest. One had an electric fence and the other didn't. One day I was walking near the unfenced one and it was totally destroyed. A bear had got at it.

[DaleK]

The beekeeper on my place found out the hard way. Two strands of electric fence lets the bear get in but not back out. Three strands works good so far. Angry sugared-up trapped bear plus angry bees do not make for a stress free day.

[Plog]

I found this news story about bees in the Ottawa area you may find useful.


http://www.ottawasun.com/2015/05/30/...-getting-stung

[Oddmott]

Can anyone suggest a good smaller/cheaper solar electric fence system?

To go around a beeyard 3 times doesn't require any of the 3 mile - 30 mile units...

[Plog]

You may want to "google" minimum requirements of an electric fence to control black bears/predators, there is a lot of good info from the US state Dept of Wildlife and from UBC. The larger energizer are recommended because they have the power needed volts/joules to deter black bears….bigger/over kill is better…..the cheaper units are by far the 110-120V AC units but you can't use these units at a remote site without power, most bee yards are remote and the use of a solar unit is best, but costlier. I purchased last year the PARMAK 12V solar through Princess Auto…all there units are ON SALE right now, you may want to have a look on line, also TSC and Home Hardware sell energizers. I believe the minimum shock value is 7000V and .7 Joules for bears…best to check though.

[Oddmott]

That's weird... yes most articles and experts say that 0.7 joules is required for bear fencing. However, going to the most recognized solar energizer brands websites, I can't even find solar energizers that provide more than 0.5 joules.

http://www.zarebasystems.com/store/e...rgers/esp30m-z

http://www.zarebasystems.com/store/e...gers/esp30m-rs

Their better "budget" systems only provide 0.15 joules
http://www.zarebasystems.com/store/e...ers/besp10m-fs

Guess you have to go with an AC or DC system for bears. Don't know how the beekeepers do at remote hive yards. The solar energizers i've seen set up certainly don't look like 0.7 joules systems...

[northernontario]

Basically, you're not gonna find a system rated at 300ft. Put in your average fencer, run 3 or 4 strands of wire on t-posts with insulators. I like to set it up so I can disconnect the bottom wire in a 4-wire setup later in the season. Once the grass is tall it'll short out all the time and make the fence less effective.

12v fencer, car battery, 12v solar panel with a charge controller to prevent overcharging (boiled a battery dry last season on a 40w panel). Pound in a good ground rod and you're set. You don't need 3 ground rods daisy chained together... this isn't a 3 mile system, it's a 300' system.

Last year I picked up one of these for a 3rd yard... http://www.amazon.ca/MAG12-UO-12-Vol...lectric+fencer

So far so good; and kept the bears out. Keep it covered with airflow to prevent moisture buildup. Ultimately the power consumption isn't that high, you can run a fence for a week without needing to recharge the battery. So you could also just have two batteries you swap in/out. Remember, you want the fence to have some punch when the ground is dry and less conductive, otherwise the bears just walk right through.

[Oddmott]

Just chatted with the folks at zareba and they don't recommend even their best units for bears.

So, it looks like ParMak is the only dependable choice. Northern Ontario, I don't like the hassle of swapping out batteries... so i'm looking more at the solar energizer systems.

[Plog]

The 12v solar unit I use has the rating for bear control off the Parmak site, from the home page click on energizers and then at the bottom are all the animal icons, just click on "bear symbol". Both the 6v n 12v are on sale at Princess Auto(as said) but Parmak does NOT rate the 6v for bears even though the ratings are above the minimum. I believe Boards Honey Farm uses/sells "Red Snapp'r" energizers.


http://www.parmakusa.com/subcategory_details.php?SId=2

[northernontario]

Ya, pretty simple to set up a 12v system instead of buying a premade one. The downfall of a premade system, if the panel fails, or the battery dies, you're stuck trying to find parts to suit.

Car battery will last a while during a week of cloud, solar panel can be had cheap when on sale at Cdn Tire and often come with charge controller.

I find a big part is getting bears to respect the fence. Said it before, bit of peanut butter on tinfoil over the wire... solved the problem I had with a bear "walking through" the fence. *Sniff Sniff* *Lick* SNAP!!!