Several times in the last two weeks, a bear has come to beekeeper Helen Bergqvist’s home to smacking honey out of her beehives.
After the county administration persistently tried to scare the bear away, it finally had to be shot by hunters this weekend.
But just hours later, a new bear appeared on the lot.
– I get absolutely desperate. It must be difficult to have bees up here anyway. Having them torn apart by bears is not something you would have imagined, says beekeeper Helen Bergqvist.
On June 13, the bear appeared for the first time on the farm of Helen Bergqvist, 78, in the small community of Västra Ormsjö outside Dorotea in Västerbotten. The visits soon became regular and last week she filmed the bear only ten meters from the house knot where she was standing.
– I wasn’t afraid at all. The door to the house was open so I had an escape route. But of course he could have rushed me. I didn’t think about that then. Maybe I was a bit stupid, she says.
Then the bear attacked
Despite the county administration trying to scare the bear away with electric wire, loud noises and bright lights, it kept coming back. Finally, the police brought in hunters and dogs to chase the animal away. Then the bear attacked instead.
– When they were going to collect their dogs, the bear attacked the hunters, Joacim Lundqvist, game coordinator at the police Region Nord, tells The Västerbottens-Kuriren.
No one was injured in the attack.
– The people who work with this are experienced. Of course, it’s always dramatic when a bear comes, but they’ve been through this before, says Joacim Lundqvist.
When all other options were exhausted, the hunters shot the bear on Saturday. But on the same day, just a few hours later, a new bear appeared among Helen Bergqvist’s beehives. The County Administrative Board has tried to scare it away as well, but so far it has not succeeded.
– I don’t think I will be left alone. I’ll have to try to set up the hives again and stand it. Then I’ll see until the fall. Maybe I’ll sell the bees, says Helen Bergqvist, who has had bees on her farm and produced honey since 1989.
There are close to 3,000 bears in Sweden. In many counties, the goal is to reduce the population. Among other things, because hungry bears can get close and seek out people. In Västerbotten, the goal is for the number of bears, which in 2021 was around 450, to be reduced to 350. This year, 81 bears may be killed in the county.