SOLAR SHEPHERDS PROTECT BEEHIVES FROM BEARS IN VIŠEGRAD

In the Višegrad region, bordering Mount Tara and the eponymous national park in Serbia, home to more than 60 bears, this unusually unpredictable year has seen an increase in bear intrusions into apiaries, particularly those near forested areas.

PHOTO: Marijana Simanić

Beekeepers are powerless in the face of these attacks, and years of hard work have been severely damaged multiple times. Hungry bears, driven by instinct in their search for food, often raid local apiaries, breaking into hives, eating honey and wax, and returning multiple times.

In addition to a relatively poor beekeeping season, producers of the world’s most important natural food have faced hungry wildlife, which has further reduced their yields. The cost of labor, equipment, and feeding the bees has long surpassed the income from honey sales, as they explain.

Estimates of direct damage reach up to two thousand euros. With yields of up to 15 kilograms of top-quality honey per hive, priced at 12 euros, the loss to these family businesses is incalculable.

According to local laws and community regulations, in the event of wildlife damaging apiaries, a procedure for reporting damage to the municipal authorities must be followed. Inspectors visit the site to assess the situation and file a report, but compensation can take months, as the municipality, hunting society, and even the state often disclaim responsibility, beekeepers testify.

To help their members protect their hives from bear attacks, the Višegrad Beekeepers Association, with the support of sponsors, has provided electric fences.

"This is a donation of eight solar-powered shepherds from the SERŽ Foundation, which were distributed to association members from rural areas, who are the most affected. The total value of the donation exceeded 6,000 BAM, and the installation was done professionally, following all regulations," said Aleksandar Masal, president of the Višegrad Beekeepers Association.

In the past 10 years, over 70 beehive colonies have been destroyed in 12 villages in the Višegrad municipality. One of the recipients of the electric fences is Darko Đurić from the village of Paljevine, who only started beekeeping last year.

"I recently started beekeeping, and bears have come to my apiary several times. With the help of our association, I received this shepherd, and I hope there won’t be any more intrusions," said Đurić, whose village is 10 kilometers from Višegrad.

Another recipient, Radoje Tasić from the village of Bijela, has been beekeeping for more than two decades.

"I’ve had the misfortune of bears coming to my apiary three times. The first time I lost eight hives, the second time four, and this summer, during the third intrusion, it seemed like the bear got scared when the sensors activated the floodlights and ran away," said Tasić.

He added that he received almost full compensation the first time, with one-third each from the municipality, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the local hunting association. However, to his surprise, the commission determined that a bear had not caused the second attack.

"This modern shepherd consists of a battery, a direct current transmission device, a solar panel, and a lightning rod. The barrier to bears and other wild animals is six rows of conductive wires, which can act independently, making it nearly impossible for an animal to enter the apiary without getting shocked," Tasić explained.

The fence was installed by a professional team following all the rules, even including a gate at the apiary’s entrance that can be easily removed before entering and turning off the device with a switch. The advantage of these shepherds is that they never lose power, unlike those powered only by batteries or direct low-voltage converters.