Black bear. Courtesy/NMDG&F
Two bears climb a tree recently on Villa Street near Aspen School. Photo by Nancy Johnson“I have a bear visiting my property and getting into my trash and birdfeeders.” This is how most phone calls regarding bear activity start. And believe me, there have been plenty of them in recent weeks and I anticipate many more in the weeks to come.
I have heard many residents say they have seen more bears this summer in town than in recent years. This is not surprising to me because of how everything has lined up in the last few years. In addition to Los Alamos being right in the middle of prime bear habitat, we have had a few good, wet years, which kept the mother bears in good condition and most able females have had cubs.
This year we had a fire, that while not devastating, still displaced bears from the forest and sent them looking for food elsewhere. The acorn mast did not develop this year, which is a major food source for bears going into fall. All of these factors have caused bears to come into town where trash and birdfeeders are easy pickings.
Bears are trying to ingest 10,000 calories per day to put on enough fat and weight for winter. A handful of bird seed is approximately 1,200 calories and liquid hummingbird food is about 900–1,000 calories. It is no surprise that bears seek out these “vending machines” wherever and whenever they can.
So the big question is always “what can I do to keep the bears away from my property?” The two quick fixes are to bring birdfeeders in at night (and during the day for about a week if a bear has visited during daylight hours) and to secure trashcans in a garage/shed if at all possible. Not everyone has a garage or shed to secure their trashcan in, so it is recommended that residents get the lid latches that the County has been providing to residents.
The next option for deterrence is to use an ammonia water spray. Mix water and ammonia 50/50 in a spray bottle and apply it anywhere that bears are not wanted: trashcans, porches, doors, windows, pet enclosures, chicken coops and fences around the yard. Because a bear’s nose is so strong, the ammonia stings their nose and helps to keep bears from coming around the area where it has been sprayed. This can be applied once a week, unless it rains and then it will need to be reapplied.
Looking forward to next year, what can be done to help residents live peacefully with the bears that will inevitably be in town? Removing any attractants is always the first step. But, what if a person wants to have birds, specifically humming birds, come to their property? Well, there is a way to bring in hummingbirds without attracting bears; planting flowers specifically for hummingbirds.
These flowers are known to draw in hummingbirds while not attracting bears:
