Though they had pretty much disappeared from Ohio by the 1850s, the number of sightings of black bears in the state has grown slowly but steadily in the past few decades. It’s estimated that between 70 and 100 have become permanent residents, including a few females with cubs.
But reports of damage that these furry new citizens cause are also on the rise, mostly involving bird or deer feeders that are torn down and destroyed.
However, beekeepers are also reporting bear damage to hives. Bears can stand 6 feet tall and weigh 700 pounds. Yet even smaller ones can knock over stacks of hives, rip holes in the sides and pull trays out to lick up their contents. Scientists say they’re actually more interested in the bee larva than the honey because it provides needed protein.
Some beekeepers have tried tying the hives together with ratchet straps, but they were no match for strong paws and sharp claws.
“We’re trying to get the word out,” said Laura Brown, a wildlife research technician with the Ohio Division of Wildlife who oversees bear observations for the northeast Ohio district. “You’ve got to protect the hives with electric fencing.”
BREAKING AND ENTERING
When she started her work in 2005, most bear reports came during the spring and summer and were found to be juvenile males that had been chased out of their mother’s territory. Most seemed to come from and go back to back to Pennsylvania, where their parents or grandparents had come from.
“Now they’re staying in Ohio — especially males, but also some sows are giving birth to cubs in our state now,” Brown said. “The bear population has increased, but not exploded.”
Since 2000, confirmed bear sightings in Ohio have hovered around 50 per year. That is, until 2022, when they shot up to more than 150. Brown said they’re not sure whether there was a huge influx of bears or just more people reporting them.
For instance, black bears prefer forested areas but may move into cornfields for easy pickings, especially when the corn is in silk. “They sit and pull stalks down and eat all they want,” Brown said.
But that doesn’t necessarily produce bear sighting reports. Farmers who only see the damage may think it’s deer or raccoons or some other corn-hungry creatures.
Plus, yearly reports of bear sightings are usually more than double those that are confirmed. Numerous people may report the same bear. The sighting must be confirmed by security or trail cameras or the sighter taking a photo or collection of some physical evidence.
In one case, the Division of Wildlife not only confirmed but captured a bear. They used a culvert trap — basically, a big metal pipe baited with sardines, corn, donuts and other sweet stuff. When the bear grabs the bait, the door shuts.
In July of last year, one such trap captured a young male in Ashtabula County. With the help of anesthesia, division personnel took measurements, installed an ear tag and put on a transmitter collar. The data from the bear’s movements will go into a report done in cooperation with a graduate student at the University of Dayton, Brown said.
Ashtabula County by far leads the state in confirmed bear sightings with 280 between 1993 and 2022. Trumbull and Geauga counties came in second and third with more than 100 sightings each, while Lake County had 70, and Mahoning County had 57.
They’re the winners in the bear-sighting contest because they are closest to the forested areas of Pennsylvania. Southeastern counties are next in line in terms of numbers because they get both Pennsylvanian and West Virginian bears. There have been few or no sightings in the western half of the state.
SNACKING AND SNOOZING
The hope is to someday capture and tag a female and her cubs, Brown said. Females only breed every other year, but may skip it altogether if there is not a good food source, or they are not in good health. They breed in summer but are able to delay implantation of the egg until October when they are ready to go in the den.
Unfortunately, Brown said, human activity can sometimes mess up that natural schedule.
“A lot of people use corn piles to attract deer during hunting season,” she said. “If the weather is mild, the females will continue to go to the food source until it runs out.”
When it comes to dens, females will often use hollow trees or treetops that are lying on the ground. They make a kind of bed, sometimes digging a hole by the tree’s roots.
The cubs — usually two but occasionally three — are born in January or February. Mom and the cubs come out of the den in April, a little later than adult males. The cubs will stay with her all spring, summer and fall and go back into the den with her in winter.
Bear sightings typically spike in May, June and July, and again in October and November as the bears look to build up fat stores for the winter. If mom raids beehives during that time, the little ones may learn from her and repeat her bad habit.
Beehives may also become a target in the winter because bears do more of what we might consider snoozing than fall into the torpor of true hibernation. They are alert and capable of fleeing or defending the den if necessary. If the weather is mild, or they’re just hungry, they might go on a food-finding mission.
That is why hive security must be maintained year-round, Brown says. Hives should be kept at least 300 feet from a forested area, and surrounded by electric fencing. The fence should be 2 feet or 3 feet away from the hives so a bear cannot reach through, and vegetation should be kept away from the wire. Also, beekeepers should check regularly to make sure the fence is on.
But bears that have thick fur, tough hides and are unfazed by bee stings may just go ahead and tear the fence apart, despite the jolts. In that case, Brown suggests adding metal flashing smeared with peanut butter to the rebuilt fence. When bears are shocked around the mouth and muzzle, it’s a lesson they won’t forget.
For instructions on fence building or to report a bear sighting or possible bear damage, Ohioans can call 1-800-WILDLIFE Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
