PHOTO : JILLIAN COOPER
the fall issue of PLENTY about her evolution as a backyard beekeeper and the joy it brought her . In late summer , our neighborhood bear had knocked over several layers of her hive towers , devouring the liquid gold inside . Another attack a few weeks later wreaked total devastation and all the bees were lost . “ It takes a lot of effort and no small investment to create successful beehives ,” says Catie . “ There was no way the hives could survive the sec-
ond attack . So all the bees died and when the queen is gone , that ’ s it .” We all live on Berryville Road , at the edge of the Ag Reserve , surrounded by forests . Just a half-minute trek into the woods and you ’ re on the popular Seneca Greenway Trail that goes for miles . In winter you can see Seneca Creek — home to heron , egrets and beaver — on its way to merging with the Potomac River a mile downstream . All kinds of forest dwellers , fox , great horned owls , and deer emerge and make themselves known to all the dogs in the neighborhood after the sun goes down . But a bear ? Now that was a bit of a surprise !
According to Jonathan Trudeau , a black bear biologist with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources ( DNR ) and game mammal section leader with DNR ’ s Wildlife and Heritage Service , “ Black bears are the top of the food chain here in Maryland . They ’ re the largest omnivore . They have no natural predators in the region to mitigate their population growth and keep the population in check . The only thing that does is humans .” Further , “ DNR estimates there are about 1,500 to 2,000 black bears in the state , though the number can be difficult to pin down because bears move between states frequently .”
In 2015 after a photo of a black bear siting in the Ag Reserve went viral , a Facebook account entitled “ Poolesville Bear ” went up garnering 300 followers overnight . Still active , the last posting was July 4 , 2023 , with the following statement from the bear : “ Thanks for all the birthday wishes ! Hope everyone is out grillin ’ and chillin ’! Don ’ t forget to leave those trash cans open and bird feeders filled !” Funny , and good natured — until you have a close encounter of the bear kind . Springtime is when bears shake off winter and head out to forage . Younger bears on their own will look for easy targets of opportunity — bird feeders , trash cans , outdoor grills , to name a few . Their noses can pick up a scent a mile away ! Once bears have a few successes with your leftovers , grill grease , or birdseed they can become habituated to returning . Like the Berryville bear .
As many of us who respect wildlife and their natural habitats , Anne Suess feels for “ our black bear ” and wishes people would learn to be more patient with wildlife . “ After all , they were here first ,” she says .