“ Bears do love honey and are attracted to beehive , ” Elizabeth Manning , an training specialist for the State of Alaska , wroteforAlaska Fish & Wildlife News . “ But unlike in Winnie the Pooh , the bears eat more than just beloved . They will also consume the bee and larvae inside the hive , which are a full germ of protein . Both dark-brown and black bears will raid hive . ”
If you ’re wondering : Would n’t attacking a beehive result in a deal of sore bee stings ? The answer is yes . According to theNorth American Bear Center :
In other word : bears cogitate the trade-off is worth it , which has caused major problems for beekeepers all over the worldly concern . In just the first five month of 2018 , bears damaged more than 370 beehives throughout Finland and part of Estonia , forcing Finland ’s government toshell out$143,000 to farmers whose livelihoods had been destroyed along with their hives .
While many beekeepers incur the price of wall their beehive with galvanizing fencing to keep the bear at bay , even the sting of an electric shock is n’t enough to deter the most determined bears . Last year in Finland , consort tothe BBC , a browned bear made its room right on past an electric fence to get to two beehive .
After years of being pestered by bears , Ibrahim Sedef — a beekeeper in Turkey — has adopted an if - you - can’t - beat-‘em - join-‘em coming to dealing with the beast . realize that bears might be the most apprehensive beloved - eaters around , he decided to turn the sweet - loving carnivore into voluntary appreciation testers . He set up four stadium , each one hold a different goody : flower honey , chestnut honey , Anzer honey , and cherry pickle ( as a decoy ) to see if the bears sniffed out a fussy favorite . Then he set up a camera and watched as they declared Anzer honey , which is one of the domain ’s most expensive beloved , to be the winner .
While Sedef estimates that his bear problem has be him about $ 10,000 over the years , he ca n’t stay delirious at these furred guys . “ Despite all this , when I see the footage , I forget all the harm they have done to me , and get laid them , ” SedeftoldThe Guardian .
Have you obtain a Big Question you ’d like us to do ? If so , get us know by emailing us atbigquestions@mentalfloss.com .
