I am concerned about the chain link fence interfering with the flight pattern of the bees. Considering there would need to be work space around the hives, would this be an issue if the hives were a number of feet back away from the fence and if so how far?

Because of aesthetic issues involved in having chain link fence in a natural setting I would be compelled to have some sort of vine to cover the exposed sides and this would restrict sunlight. The top (chain linked) would be kept open without vines to let the sunlight in. The sight is an open area with full sun from noon to five. Would this be too shaded for the bees?

Does anyone see any additional issues that should be considered in deciding to do this or not?

If anyone has any direct experience with beekeeping in bear country and can give any insights it would be helpful. I have read the University of Tennessee Extension book on beekeeping and it does not speak to the issue of bears and beekeeping.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Here are the replies I got about bears and chain link fences

1: "Maybe not "destroy" but it'd be ineffective against them. A 7' foot high chain link fence can be climbed over or under by a black bear with alarming speed. Any seams can be ripped apart. Any gate will be torn open.

Nasty critters..."

2"The easy answer is NO.

Trying to build a "bear proof" barrier that will work simply by "integrity" that will withstand the forces exerted on it by a bear, requires very heavy duty design features and very costly. What is the largest bear that the design will keep out? A 500 or 600 lb bear can exert a lot of force on a post. What kind of posts and how deep will they be buries and anchored?
How deep will the fence be buried? Digging under a barrier is one way to get around a physical obstacle.

I have had my "commercial" dumpster thrown around, turned upside down, had side caved in, all in an effort by a bear to get at what was inside. What solved this problem? (4) tires and a charge line attached to it."

We use solar chargers and fencers. Some friends I know use a solar charger and a 12 volt car battery. You can do a google search and find lots of info.

Thank you very much for posting my questions to another forum and sharing the responses with me. From what I read, it doesn’t sound like it would be a good idea to try to build a chain link cage around the hives. It looks like I will need to come up with the most powerful solar charger I can find and keep my fingers crossed. If anyone has any suggestions about the using solar chargers to keep bear out please let me know.

Thank you again tonybeeguy.

Let me tell you that, even though we scared the bear away in our backyard apiary before he tore them apart, it is not fun at all to put bee hives back together after that happens. They think you are the bear coming back. It's pretty amazing, they are just outraged.

Solar chargers don't come charged by the way! So I still had a problem of protecting the hives until the solar unit could build up a charge. So I bought a cheap plug-in charger from the local hardware store, with a long extension cord until the solar charger built up a charge.

Didn't get shocked. Pretty easy to do.

The hives are no longer in the backyard, found a better place just down the hill at a neighbor's, more morning sun. I had a hive there last year that didn't get bothered by the marauding bear, but of course it is still a possibility. I don't bait the fence, mainly because I don't want to attract a bear that wouldn't find the location otherwise.

Before I moved the hives to their location, I'm fairly sure the bear came back and the electric fence got him. One morning, some of the fence poles were tilted inwards.