Look for these bear attractants on your property:

Garbage

The biggest attractant for bears in our communities is garbage. Do not store garbage or other organic waste outdoors. If you have curbside collection, only put the containers out on the morning of collection day – never the night before. Make sure recyclables have been cleaned.

• Keep garbage inside until the morning of garbage collection
• Odorous garbage can be kept inside a plastic bag and frozen until garbage day
• Garbage can also be kept in the basement or inside the garage or shed if it is bear proof
• Use airtight garbage containers
• Businesses/property owners can install bear-proof garbage bins
• Businesses can also construct a bear proof fence/storage area to house garbage until collection time
• Neighbourhood garbage conflicts can be addressed through residents being proactive in their neighbourhood
• Encourage residents to talk to the neighbour(s) causing bear conflict and help educate them about bear attractants
• Garbage should not be left in the back of vehicles or under canopies; they aren’t bear proof and will likely get damaged

Compost 

Use finished compost, leaves, grass or wood chips to cover up fruit or other food waste in your composter. Properly care for your compost by turning it and layering it appropriately to reduce odours. 

• Remove any meat, meat by-products, fish, and cooked fruit and vegetables from compost
• Sprinkle lime in compost.  The lime will aid the composting process and help to reduce the odour
• Covering the compost with a light cover of dirt or soil or a heavy cover of grass clippings will also assist with odours
• If the conflict persists the compost bin may have to be removed

For an informational brochure on composting safely in bear country, visit:  Composting in Bear CountryHS

Fruit and Nut trees and Grapes 

Make sure to harvest fruit and nuts immediately. Remove all windfall fruit and nuts. If you own an orchard, electric fencing is encouraged.

• Pick fruit as it ripens since ripe fruit has a high caloric value and is a highly sought after food source by bears
• Fruit can also be picked before it ripens and the un-ripened fruit can then be stored indoors while it ripens
• Let friends or neighbours pick your fruit if you are not going to use it
• Determine if the fruit trees are necessary or if they are still wanted, if they aren’t, have the trees cut down
• Install electric fencing to protect the fruit trees

For additional resources on managing fruit and nut trees, or fruit bearing plants, visit: Growing Fruit? Pest Control

Pet food, Birdfeeders, and Gardens

Pet food should be kept in an airtight, non-odorous container locked inside residences. Pet food should not be left unattended outside. If pet are fed outdoors, bring in the food dish between feedings.

Birdseed or suet filled bird feeders will attract bears through the odours they emit. Birdseed and suet are high protein food source for bears. Use bird feeders only in the winter when bears are hibernating and natural bird food is limited. If you feed birds in bear season, consider the following steps to minimize your contribution to human-bear conflicts:

• Take bird feeders in at night
• Keep the ground underneath the feeders clean and free of bird seed
• Fill your feeders regularly with just a small amount of feed, which will decrease the reward a bear would receive if it does get to your feeder.

Identify if the bear conflicts in your garden is a result of:

• Poor husbandry practices
• No fencing or inadequate fencing of crops
• Proximity of crops/orchards to naturally occurring food sources such as wild berry bushes
• Surrounding heavy bush and trees can act as a “comfort zone” for bears to use as cover
• Consider removing or thinning the bush

Electrical fencing can be a highly effective deterrent to bears if it is deployed properly. Within municipal neighbourhoods, conflicts can be compounded when multiple residential properties are attracting bears. Be proactive in the neighbourhood to help address the conflicts. Identify if there are any other attractants that could be compounding the conflict such as compost bins or garbage. 

The use of scare devices such as motion lights  can be effective short-term solutions.

For more information on reducing the risk of conflict on your property visit: Grow – WildsafeBC   

Barbeques & Smokers

Barbeques are a strong bear attractant due the smells and cooked food sometimes left behind.

• Barbeques and drip pans should be cleaned after each use since grease and fat are a high calorie food source for bears
• Barbeques should be kept locked inside a bear-proof shed after they have been cleaned
• Covering a cleaned barbeque will further help to reduce the transmission of food odour
• A barbeque stored within a shed that has an un-cleaned grill or drip pan will still attract bears and could possibly lead to property damage

Portable smokers should be kept in a bear proof shed or garage while not in use. Smoker sites should not be located around area of dense bush. Dense bush acts as cover and provides a sense of security to bears. Heavy bush surrounding smoker sites should be removed.

For more information on ‘Living in Wildlife Country’ visit: Living in Wildlife Country – WildsafeBC