Today’s Poll

Bears like fruit so Bear Aware has a few tips to keep them away

Contributor
By Contributor
August 21st, 2012

The plums, apples and pears will soon be ripe on the trees. 

That means mouth-watering pies, sauces, juice and just plain good fruit off the tree.  But it also means that bears may be visiting our fruit trees.

What can the public do? 

Pick fruit and keep the it from accumulating under your trees. 
Anyone that cannot pick their fruit, try contacting Harvest Rescue (2540-551-8343) to pick edible fruit. 

Properly constructed and maintained predator electric fencing is very effective at keeping bears from fruit trees and chicken coops. 

The public can find instructions on how to erect a very simple predator electric fence (the instructions can modified to suit every situation) on www.bearaware.bc.ca .

There will be a free workshop on predator electric fencing for residents of Nelson and Areas E and F on Saturday September 8 (location to be determined).  Pre-register at siderius@netidea.com (250-825-9585). 

Resident not using the fruit on trees, or if the fruit tree is no longer producing edible fruit, can consider replacing your tree with a decorative tree that does not produce fruit  or a fruit tree that produces usable fruit.

Also once canning and preparing  fruit starts, residents are urged to remember not to overload the compost with fruit. 

Compost can attract bears if it smells and a compost over-loaded with fruit will smell of rotting fruit and perhaps may attract a bear to your compost.  People can freeze some of the “compostable” materials until your compost is ready for new material. 

Learn more about identifying and managing bear attractants near your home by visiting www.bearaware.bc.ca oremailing Joanne Siderius, Bear Aware Community Coordinator, at nelson@bearaware.bc.ca

Visit our new facebook page: www.facebook.com/BearAwareBC .

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