Bear Spray Doesn't Work

Bears have been taking honey from bees for millennia...

So I should leave my bee hive home when I'm walking around in bear country?

I’ve got to say I disagree. I don’t think the evidence you posted supports your claim.

Bears and skunks are our biggest problem with bees.

There are as many videos about bear spray failing as there are working. Ive also read about as many stories about guns failing to stop the bear before it gets to the person. I carry a 10mm or 44 mag and no bear spray. But I know that either way its likely 50/50.

I've seen pepper spray fail to deter a cat from climbing a screen door. Was back in a couple days. Also living on a farm I've seen animals get pretty torn up and go on for days before succumbing. A pissed off bull, bear, mountain lion, or even a horse isn't an adversary you want.

Well I carry a G29 loaded with 200 gr hardcast @ 1300 fps in bear country too. But bear spray works, and I carry it as well depending on the situation. In reality the bear spray is probably going to be more effective for several reasons. No matter how big the gun you use a bear is probably going to live 10-30 seconds even with a good hit. The question is, can you survive longer than the bear.

A bunch of bee stings is only a minor issue to a bear. But the bear spray leaves it blind and unable to breathe if deployed correctly, assuming you use the good stuff. And your aim doesn't need to be nearly as precise as with a gun.

Yes, I've seen the videos where someone sprays a little black bear and off the critter runs, and then the salesman is telling everyone how great their product is, but usually the bears in those videos are displaying a very curious or shy behavior; it's easy to chase those fellows away. I'm talking about aggressive or determined behavior from an old bear or surprised or irritated or starving bear. Those behaviors are different and I have never trusted pepper spray to shield me from those.

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Fortunately those incidents describe 95% of all human/bear encounters. Most of them are not attacking humans with the intent of killing and eating them, but rather to get at food they may be carrying. It is when humans panic and run that it triggers the bears instincts to attack. Standing your ground, especially with pepper spray, or even with a stick or rock will deter virtually all bears. And no one guarantees anything. If you do happen to run into a determined bear then it just ain't your day. And having the gun isn't necessarily a guarantee either.

Deploying Pepper-spray outdoors successfully depends on reasonably still air or on having the wind at your back. Having bear-spray blow back in your face is not a good idea. I have used rubber ball shotgun loads to discourage Black bears from hives and dumpsters quite successfully. Bee hives are a real attractant for Black bears and they will accept a lot of discomfort to get at them. A sturdy chain-link enclosure is the only thing I have found to keep out a determined bear with a sweet tooth.

Bear spray has been successfully used many times to fend off aggressive bears, both black, and brown.
When you look at the numbers, it actually seems to work better on brown/grizzly bears.
I'm pretty sure black bears have actually killed more people than browns and have been known to stalk and prey on humans. Makes sense given their affinity for trash cans.
Spray is not a substitute for a gun, but may provide better outcomes in the right situation. Carry both.

Bears often bluff charge, and if they are just trying to move you away from them, spray may work fine.
If they are starving, have cubs, or are generally in a bad mood, they will maul or kill you at their own discretion, however most bear encounters involve the bear running away.
Bears can run down elk, and over a short distance are incredibly fast.

Bears are not unstoppable juggernauts. They can and have been stopped with small caliber and large caliber handguns.

Assumptions about an entire species based on single anecdotes regarding single encounters are just as foolish as racism. Animals are individuals and their demeanor can be different based on genes, sex, food and water needs, competition with rival bears, and just adrenaline levels. I know plenty of dogs I'd trust to save my life, and plenty I wouldn't even offer my hand to for a sniff. I'm not going to make an assumption about a dog I don't know based on one example or the other. Same for bears.

Bears have been tearing bee hives apart for millions of years. They have evolved a natural resistance to bee venom, they have thick hides and fur to lessen the depth a stinger can penetrate, and as a result can easily with the wipe of a paw dislodge those poorly imbedded stingers. So where it feels to us like we got jabbed with a needle, to them it likely feels like picking up a rose stem with thorns bare handed. It hurts, and will get annoying, but when you have the promise of a massive amount of calories crucial to hibernation survival, it's a small price to pay.

They did not evolve to resist pepper spray to the eyes, nostrils, or mouth. That is why it works on them sometimes. However, just as different people have different tolerance for pain, and spicy food, different bears will exhibit different levels of tolerance to spray. They are individuals.

There is a lot of mystique around bears because of their naturally evolved power. Respect them, and don't attract them with food, and you'll probably be fine. A bee hive is a mighty big lure though, and bears are habitual. If the bee hives reappear, so will the bear most likely.

The assertion that the OP makes that anyone reading this should trust a gun and god is an opinion at best. That's fine if that's how he feels, but it's a personal choice that each of us needs to make. I try my hardest not to kill anything if I'm not going to eat it. However, I value my own life and the life of my loved ones over any wild animal. I carry bear spray, but I also carry a gun capable of taking one down. Will I have time to try the spray first? I dunno.

Encountering a bear is like a military operation. It never goes quite according to plan. I have encountered bears, and been way too close to an inland grizzly by accident. Keeping focus is critical.

Bear spray and bee stings are two very different things that impair victims in two very different ways.

Bears love honey and don't ever seem to mind the stings. Haven't you ever watch Winnie the Poo? But are they really after the honey? Or the bee brood?

Bullets vs bear spray can be a divisive topic, but I think the fact that bears eat honey is the least persuasive argument I've heard in a long time.

I would suggest using probability as a guide rather than the idea that a product has to work perfectly or it is useless. Thus, what things increase the probability that a bear will seek other prey rather than come after you.

That being said, as mentioned above by others, the o/p seems to be comparing apples and oranges--bee stings to a bear does not have the same physiological response in bears as does pepper spray generally does to mammals.