Bears are nothing shocking around here. You see them by the river, driving up the hill or out on hikes, but when it comes to town, it can feel like a safe space. Many of us bring our bear spray with us anytime we head into the backcountry but leave it at home for a stroll through town.
This time of year, the lines get a bit blurrier for the bears.
Late summer and early fall are when fruit begins to ripen and overripe fruit starts falling to the ground. For bears, this can be an easy and concentrated source of food, particularly as they prepare for winter.
In the fall, bears enter a stage known as hyperphagia. This is the time when they are trying to put on as much weight as possible to last through the winter. Bears are essentially looking to consume as many calories as they can while expending as little energy as possible. Parks Canada describes bears in the Rockies as eating for much of the day during this period as they build the fat reserves needed to survive the winter.
Fruit trees, like an apple tree for example, are a great opportunity to have a large meal without much searching. A lawn covered in fallen apples can provide a bear with a concentrated source of calories, right in someone’s backyard. The B.C. government notes that ripe fruit is highly sought after by bears because of its high caloric value.
The fruit is also easy for bears to find. Bears have an exceptionally keen sense of smell, and can locate food from more than a kilometre away.
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When I was a tree planter, one of my supervisors used to love telling us that a bear can smell a sealed beer buried in the ground from kilometres away. While I have never been able to track down exactly where that fact came from, I have learned plenty since then about just how impressive a bear’s sense of smell actually is. It is one reason why simply burying food is not an effective way to keep it away from wildlife.
Another major factor that can draw bears into communities is something known as food conditioning. When a bear finds a reliable food source in a particular area, it can learn to associate that location with food and return when the opportunity arises. Domestic fruit trees are one example of this.
This isn’t just a theoretical concern. A WildSafeBC report from Golden noted that domestic fruit is an unnatural source of high-calorie food for bears preparing for winter, and that bears can teach their young where these food sources are located, potentially leading to repeated conflicts.
According to the Conservation Officer Service, this year’s wildfire season, drought conditions and low wild berry supply have left bears with fewer natural food sources, potentially pushing them to search more widely for food.
All of these factors combined can bring bears closer to our communities and homes, increasing the chances of human-wildlife encounters.
So how can we reduce the impact?
One of the simplest things we can do is manage the fruit growing around our homes. If you have a fruit tree, make sure you are able to harvest the fruit it produces. If you can’t keep up with the harvest, it may be worth considering whether the tree is still practical to have. The B.C. government recommends picking fruit as it ripens, or even picking it early and allowing it to ripen indoors.
The second is to harvest fruit frequently and not let it accumulate on the ground. If you have more fruit than you know what to do with, there are plenty of ways to make use of it. Contact the local food bank, offer it to community members or connect with local farmers who may be able to use it as livestock feed.
Local Food Matters is also offering a fruit harvesting service, you can register your tree to be harvested by volunteers. The fruit is then distributed to the community. To learn more about this program visit localfoodmattersgolden.com/gleangolden.
Another option is fencing. Electric fencing can be used to keep bears away from fruit trees and prevent them from accessing an easy food source.
Reducing human-wildlife interactions reduces the potential for harm to both people and bears. As we move into fall and bears become increasingly focused on finding food, a little extra awareness around our yards and fruit trees can go a long way.
So, be bear aware this fall and manage your fruit trees.
