Bears are entering houses on the North Shore. Here's what you can do.

Black bears have wandered into people’s houses on the North Shore on multiple occasions in recent weeks, so a local society is offering tips on how to keep the animals off your property.

“The bears are out and about, and they’re looking for food,” Holly Reisner of the North Shore Black Bear Society told CTV News.

Due to the warmer weather, many are leaving their doors open, and if a bear smells something delicious from inside your house, it will simply wander in, she said.

In a recent instance, residents saw the bear just as it was entering their home, and were able to shoo it away—the best possible outcome, Reisner said.

The society is urging people who live in bear country—which is all over the Lower Mainland—to keep ground-level doors and windows closed unless you’re there to watch closely.

Other ways to make sure you don’t attract bears onto your property include keeping garbage and organic waste secured, ideally in a garage or shed. Reisner also said to keep the smelliest waste—meat, fish or bones—in the freezer until collection day.

Another tip is that bears don’t like the smell of pine, so you can spray a pine-scented cleaner on garbage bins, she said.

In addition, Reisner advises against having bird feeders out during the summer, as they attract more than just birds.

And if you have any fruit trees, fallen fruit should be picked up every day, and harvested just before ripe, she said.

When out on the trails, Reisner says to talk, sing or call out while walking, and the bears will most likely stay away. If you do meet one, “First thing is to stop, take a deep breath, try to stay calm,” she said.

“Talk to the bear, ‘Hey bear, I see you there’ in a calm tone of voice,” and then slowly back away from the bear. If you appear calm and non-threatening, the animal will mind its own business, she said.

If there’s a bear on your property and you’re inside, you can adopt a more stern way of speaking: “Hey bear, off you go!” Reisner said. Bears respond to the tone of your voice similar to the way dogs do, so if you strongly set your boundaries and keep attractants off your property, they won’t come back, she explained.

Bears are killed every year on the North Shore, both by traffic and by authorities after they get into people’s food, something the society is trying to put an end to through education.

“We want people to learn about bears, understand their true nature and how peaceful they are, and what we need to do responsibly to manage the fact that we do live with them to reduce the number of bears that are killed every year,” Reisner said.