A bear broke into an apiary in the Kaišiadorys district

The growing population of brown bears in Lithuania is posing new challenges for Lithuanian beekeepers. A tragic incident was reported in the Žasliai parish, Kaišiadorys district, where a bear that had entered an apiary completely destroyed seven bee colonies.

News of the uninvited guest’s visit was shared on the social media group ‘Beekeepers’.

Beekeepers are urged to remain vigilant, whilst experts warn that standard protective measures against these predators are ineffective.

The Žasliai parish is a particularly vulnerable area from a geographical perspective. The large nearby forests and natural wildlife corridors create ideal conditions for migrating animals, but on this occasion, the visitor’s arrival caused the farm owners enormous losses.

An extraordinary sense of smell allows it to sniff out prey from kilometres away

According to naturalists, the battle against a bear targeting an apiary is particularly difficult due to the animal’s incredible senses.

The brown bear has an exceptional sense of smell – in favourable weather conditions, it can detect the scent of honey and bee bread from as far as 5–10 kilometres away. Add to that its excellent hearing and immense physical strength, and the apiary becomes an easy target; an uninvited guest can cause enormous damage in just one night.

“It’s not just the financial loss from destroyed hives or lost honey, but also the destruction of years of daily labour. Ordinary fences or dogs won’t stop a bear,