Vandalized Hives
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One of my bee hives knocked over during the night. (Charlotte Ekker Wiggins photo)
Vandalized Hives
The leading suspect is a bear. They have been reported in the last few days west of where I live, sighted along a county road that runs parallel to my hillside.
Black bears used to be native to Missouri and have been re-introduced. I’ve heard of a few sightings over the last couple of years but this is the first time I have been concerned for the safety of my bee colonies because of bears.
Three of my colonies were tipped over, two occupied and one a “rental.” According to friends who used to work for our state conservation department, these are the signs of a bear vandalizing a hive:
Paw prints in wet soil
Destroyed brood comb; bears are after the protein.
Destroyed honey comb; bears also have a sweet tooth.
Frames and hive bodies in pieces.
I don’t have any of those signs and three empty frames are gone from the empty hive. I have scoured my property to find the frames.
Option 2. This was vandalism by a human who chose the colonies farthest from the house and took three frames as trophies.
It will be a few days before I can determine whether the colonies are ok. I will be checking for eggs to make sure the queen bee wasn’t killed.
The hives have been secured again. '
The police took my report and came by to look at the area. The officer said it looked to her like this was damage by a person, not a bear. Maybe this got whatever was bugging them out of their system.
