Citronella and Bears?

[Barefoot Child]

What is the thought process about using Citronella candles in bear country?

Please don't take me wrong...I am not afraid of attracting a bear....in fact, that might be cool to see (we must always remember that we are guests in their house and not the reverse), but I was wondering (well sort of) would a citronella candle burning in the CandleLantern get rid of the bugs, but attract the bears?

Would a plain candle do the same, but maybe have less attractive powers?

And what if I used a smaller candle...would I get a smaller bear?
So sorry...I just couldn't resist that one.

[JohnSawyer]

Add Bacon fat to your candle?


Realistically, attracting bears with food is a really bad idea...

[jlb2012]

once a bear has been "corrupted" just the smell of a campfire is enough to bring one around

[lori]

If it were me, I'd call the local office of whoever has jurisdiction and ask about bear problems. If bears in the area are prone to wandering about scrounging for handouts or trash, I wouldn't take the candle. Anything with enough scent to make bears curious enough to investigate would stay home.

If there isn't a bear problem, I wouldn't worry about it.

[Bradley]

Post warning:
If you were totaly kidding DO NOT READ THIS POST
If you are serious . . . Read on.

1. ...I am not afraid of attracting a bear....
2. in fact, that might be cool to see
3. (we must always remember that we are guests in their house and not the reverse),

The naivety of a child . . . is as sweet as honey to the bears.

Guest; would suggest we were envited in . . .

I would hate to one day run across your candles and partial carcass

Were you trying to attract polar bears or Teddy bears

Not sorry . . . sometimes ya just gotta say it like it is . . .
ask the last dozen people that woke up to sharing; bear breath.
.
.
Now back to our regular programing . . .
.
.

[Barefoot Child]

It isn't as if I am worried about whether a bear appears or not, I was wondering if the smell of citronella itself was an attractant for bears.

By the few responses so far, it would seem that bears being a curious animal by nature would investigate any odor that might indicate a chance for something to eat. And if a bear has already been introduced to available food from a human scource, any odor at all would set off the alarm for possible food (all you would have to do is start a fire and the smell would start the salivating process and peak the inquisitive nature of a bear).

Soooo...does anyone know if Citronella is an attractant for bears, or any wildlife for that matter? And what about the scent (odor) given off by a regular candle?

Are there any "Bearographers" out there?

Please remember that..."Not all of those who wander in the woods are lost."

[BillyBob58]

It isn't as if I am worried about whether a bear appears or not, I was wondering if the smell of citronella itself was an attractant for bears.

By the few responses so far, it would seem that bears being a curious animal by nature would investigate any odor that might indicate a chance for something to eat. And if a bear has already been introduced to available food from a human scource, any odor at all would set off the alarm for possible food (all you would have to do is start a fire and the smell would start the salivating process and peak the inquisitive nature of a bear).

Soooo...does anyone know if Citronella is an attractant for bears, or any wildlife for that matter? And what about the scent (odor) given off by a regular candle?

Are there any "Bearographers" out there?

Well, I have no idea about Citronella, maybe some one else will.

But when camping in bear country ( which really is a lot of places ) I often become overwhelmed by the near absurdity of it all. I do every thing I can to obey the rules, maybe to the point of extreme. But come on!

For example, what about your own smell? Can't the bears smell us, good, neutral or bad? And these days don't a lot of bears realize that the mear presence of a human probably means food? What about the smell of a snack you had earlier that day which got on your hands and then in your hair or on your clothes? The meals you cook? The fish you might catch?

What is it they say about a bears sense of smell? Whatever, it is about the best in the animal kingdom, more or less.

So while I don't know if Citronella will actually attract ( or hopefully even repel?) a bear, I'm pretty sure any bear within a long ways already knows you are there, and already smells various attractive(to the bear anyway) smells associated with us. Which may help explain why, every now and then, someone is taken out by a bear, after they did everything by the book.

Well, no help to OP in this response! Sorry! But these are things that have come to my mind after I have spent weeks straight in Griz country, and I stink to high heaven, as does most things I have touched.

[Knotty]

Looks like you've answered your own question, bears are curious and attracted to pretty much any scent.

Everything I've read says citronella doesn't really help with mosquitos so I'd stick with standard candles.

[canoebie]

Rex,

I use beeswax candles, spose they might think it was a hive and they would think there was honey?

[lori]

Do not go out of your way to attract bears, please. For the bears' sake. Bears who get used to people are bears in danger of being killed down the line after they have lost their fear to the point that they become nuisance bears.

You will be doing any bear you see a favor if (after quickly snapping a picture) you yell, wave arms, and scare that bear away.

I say this as a frequent visitor of Yosemite, home of bears who have long lost their fear of people to their detriment... bears are killed every year because they have become so accustomed to people they target cars, camps, trash bins, and even sneak up behind people to grab their unattended pack or lunch.

ETA: This does not apply to grizzlies. Just Black Bears. And not black bears in Alaska, which are different. Always ask locals about bears if you are uncertain what you're up against....