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6 bd 3 ¢ HERB GARBUTT hgarbutt@metroland.com Ray Lavender has had to = deal with predators around ¢ his beehives before Usually skunks are the main culprit. But when he & recently went to check on 2 the three hives near his * house just north of Acton, he knew it was not the work of skunks. The hives had been knocked over, one of them smashed to pieces and all had large claw marks on them. Seeing the damage, Lav- ender knew he had been visited by a bea The Ministry of North- ern Development, Mines, Natural Resources Forestry says almost all “ Ontario has habitat to sup- port black bears, though Hills | Thursday, May 26, 2022 | + Halton the beginning of Soot. the ministry's Bear Wise re- porting line has had 35 re- NorTHSTAR» Bets rts of bear sightings in the Guelph District, in- cluding 10 in the rural area around Acton and Rock- ‘wood. Lavender has since in- stalleda camera, "but I still Pathe seen him." He also electric fence around h hish hives, which he suspects is acting as a de- terrent. It is located about 100 to 150 metres from his house. Ofhis three hives, which house between 15,000 and 50,000 bees, one was de- stroyed. He is trying to sal- age the second one and he was ableto repair the third. Lavender said he has ap- plied to a Ministry of the Environment program that refunds beekeepers if their hives are damaged by wildlife. It is believed the bear was a single young male. The ministry said sight- are more common, be- ginning around April. NorRTHSTAR ] =O] UB) = 10] 0) Gt O7-V-1 1) (0) BEAR DAMAGES ACTON BEEHIVES "Bears emerge from their dens and are seeking out food sources and young bes seen more frequently dur- ing periods of natural food shortages, such droughts or late frosts that affect berry and other nat- ural food crops." While adult female bears tend to stay in a 15-25 square kilometre area, males could have a home might travel as far as100 ki- lometres to a known food source. While bears usually try to avoid people, they will be attracted to homes with strong food aromas, the fruit or pet food left out- side. They will return as long as the food source is Ray Lavender photo Ray Lavender's beehives were visited by a bear that caused extensive damage. available. Ifyou encounter a bear, slowly back away while watching and waiting for it to leave. If you are near a car or building, get inside. After the bear leaves, re- move whatever attracted it. The Bear Wise report- ing line—1-866-514-2327 or TTY: 705-945-7641—oper- ates 24 hours a day, seven days a week from April to BETS LIVE DEALER November. Staff can provide infor- mation about bear beha- viour, how to avoid human- bear interactions and how to avoid attracting bears to your property. NoRTHSTAR ¥ BETS =e i 7 De Oo) OW) ED) SPORTS NEWS \NS\GHTS SCORES. BET SPORTSBOOK a ee Play now at NorthStarBets.ca ONTARIO ~jiGaming. 4 J \ Product and screen sequence not exactly as shown. Must be 19+ years or older to play. Play responsibly. Ontario only. ©2022 IGT LIVE DEALER