CASSADAGA - So far, an electrified fence has prevented another bear raid on beehives that are located on Barnum Road, just outside of Cassadaga.
The hives, owned and maintained by Tricia Lehnen on property owned by her father-in-law, Steve Lehnen, were broken into earlier this summer by a bear.
"It must have gotten at least 30 pounds of honey," Steve said.
That's when he put a trail camera on the site, to take pictures of the culprit. Sure enough, the bear posed for the shot, before it took another swipe at the hives.
Steve thinks the raiding bear is a full grown one.
"I stood in front of the same tree where the picture was taken and it appears to be taller than me," he said.
Rick Slaven, who lives across the road from the hives, said his two dogs bark a lot at night, when it is difficult to see what's exciting them.
"They don't bark at the turkeys wandering up our driveway or the deer in our back yard, but they sure bark at something at night," he said.
The question is, is it the same bear that wandered into Cassadaga this summer and startled Jeff Frick in the back yard of his Maple Street home?
This bear apparently was drawn to the dumpster outside Nordy's Pizza on Main Street, before cutting over onto the Frick property. As bears are known to behave, they are drawn to any available food and area residents are advised to keep their garbage and any other foodstuff secure.
Village Trustee Rudy Abersold also thinks individuals who may be berrying in the wooded areas should be cautious.
"You don't know if a bear is after the same berries," he says.
Again, it is known bears tend to shy away from humans, except when this encounter involves a mother bear with cubs.
"You don't want to get between a mother and her babies," Steve Lehnen said.
