From TV screens in various cartoons people were convinced that bears adore honey. A striking example is the character of the animated series Winnie the Pooh. In addition, there are a number of books with illustrations indicating the love of bears for honey. But is it? Do bears eat honey, do they really love this treat so much?
The origin of the word "bear"
The word "bear", according to experts in the field of linguistics, is directly related to the addiction of the animal to honey. Literally translated from ancient Arabic, it can be translated as "lover of honey." There is a version that ancient scientists have repeatedly observed the way of life of these animals in the wild. Thanks to this, they were able to understand whether the bears eat honey and how they get this treat. It is noteworthy that during the process of hunting for honey, bears are almost impossible to stop.
Often, beekeepers placing hives in forests are forced to install various protective equipment. Traps, electric fences and other protection methods can protect the apiary, but damage the bear population. Sometimes powerful predators die in these traps, but can not retreat, because the addiction to honey is stronger.
Why bears love honey
Zoologists have long puzzled over whether bears eat honey in the wild. Or is everything limited to pogroms of apiaries? Scientists were also interested in the question of why the omnivorous bear eats honey and what it is connected with. It turned out that this addiction of the animal is nothing but a necessity that can greatly facilitate life. The fact is that honey has an extremely high calorie content and contains large amounts of carbohydrates, fructose and glucose. These elements are necessary for the bear to build fat before hibernation. This fat itself is a guarantee of animal safety in the cold season.
The process of extracting honey for the bear is a simple process. Thanks to its well-developed sense of smell, the animal easily finds the source of a sweet smell. In order to find the treasured hive, the bear needs to catch a faint aroma, while the hive can be located several kilometers from the animal. Sensing honey, the instincts of survival are activated in the animal. They are pushing the bear to obtain a vital product for him.
The period when the bears are most active in the search for honey falls in the summer. Scientists are wondering if bears eat honey in the remaining months of the year? The answer to it is unequivocal - they eat, but in smaller quantities. In the summer, animals feed the bulk of fat, preparing for hibernation. Therefore, the consumption of honey is maximum. It is noteworthy that if the bear did not manage to gain the necessary amount of fat over the summer, it will not hibernate and will wander through the forests. Such animals are called connecting rods. The connecting rod bear is very dangerous. Such animals, as a rule, attack everyone who meets them on the way.
