Honey-hunting grizzlies are 'one of the realities' for beekeepers in Bearberry, Alta.

As anybody who's a fan of Banjo-Kazooie or Winnie-the-Pooh knows, bears love honey — but for beekeepers in Mountain View County, that famous sweet tooth is more of a cause for concern than a cute craving.

Simone and Steven Dold operate S2Apiary in the central Alberta community of Bearberry, located approximately 107 kilometres northwest of Calgary in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Since the couple took up beekeeping in 2017, they've found out firsthand that bears just can't keep themselves away from their hives.

The apiary's latest bear visit was caught on camera earlier this month, when a grizzly paid their property a late-night visit on Oct. 2.

"In this case he kind of knocked around a few saw horses that we had just outside our bee yard, and he did a couple laps around the bee yard, but never really figured out a way to get through the electric fence," Steven said.

Steven called being visited by bears "one of the realities, and nature, of being in this part of the country."

Living in bear country means all residents have to take special precautions — especially those with bear magnets like beehives on their property.

"During the spring, summer, and fall, we use properly-installed electric fencing around our bee yards, which has proven to be the most effective deterrent against bears," Simone said.

"We also make sure not to feed birds, leave out compost, or expose any bee equipment or feed that could attract them."

Steven said whenever their hives have been broken into by bears, they play it safe by removing that entire bee yard, "just so that it doesn't come back and visit that that same location, because ... if they do find a food source or a meal, they'll return."

Being bear-aware and vigilant has kept S2Apiary from suffering any significant losses at the paws of bears.

"Once they they come into contact with an electric fence, they learn," Steven said.

With their beekeeping business only one of countless agriculture operations in grizzly bear territory, the apiarists stressed the importance of being bear-aware under all circumstances in rural Alberta.

"Beekeepers can lose entire apiaries, and farmers can lose calves, lambs, and poultry to bears. We have many families with young children in the area and they also need to remain vigilant outdoors, especially at dawn and dusk," Simone said.