The bear and the bees: 'Their hives were tore up'

OAKRIDGE, Ore. - Frank Moffitt said his house is a prime target for a bear.

He keeps honeybees in a shed on his property, and he said that's what attracted a black bear into his neighborhood Monday morning in Oakridge.

"I heard him, I was up at five o'clock in the morning and I heard him carrying on up there," said Moffitt, pointing up the hill where the bear got trapped - but later escaped.

He said the bear has been coming onto his property for over a week and making his honeybees mad.

"They were agitated, and their hives were tore up," said Moffitt.

And they're not the only ones.

"I'm angry, very angry," he remarked.

He said the bear is attracted to his property because of the honey produced from honeybees that he raises.

"That bear's big enough that he hauled entire boxes of brood and honey," said Moffitt.

He hauled them up the hill and away from the house. The bear, Moffitt said, is attracted to the honeycomb. So far he's consumed close to 200 pounds of it.

"The loss of the, this stuff here, plus the loss of my honey, I'm out about a thousand dollars," he said.

Now Moffitt has a message to send to the bear, wherever he might be.

"Come on down: I got a picnic for ya, outside of this trailer."

The county trapper has set another live trap for the bear on Monday, but Moffitt said he's not sure if the bear will be back.