The bear ate the honey from the beehives and scattered the honeycomb along the edge of the forest.
“The apiary is fifteen meters from the courtyard, so the owners were worried," said Apine.
A wild boar repeller has been installed on the farm so the bear was interrupted in the act. But the owners could not be sure this would be the last they would see of the bear. Since the event took place on Easter holiday, no responsible services could be contacted.
After the holidays, the owners managed to contact the Nature Conservation Board (DAP), which recommended the installation of an electrical fence to protect the apiary. Residents near Alūksne are urged not to keep items possibly attractive to bears in the yard (pet food, open waste containers).
Beekeepers may also apply for damaged apiaries for compensation, although the farm in question is not eligible as because the apiary has not been registered.
According to DAP, there are currently around 60 bears in Latvia.
LSM reported earlier that a bear had to be killed in northern Latvia to protect the public as residents had been feeding it, causing the animal to approach people and dooming him anyway by feeding inappropriate food. The public is urged not to feed bears in the wild.
