I make home made yellow jacket traps every year and catch thousands. Take a 2 liter pop bottle and cut 4, 3/4 inch holes, evenly spaced around the bottle. (About 5 inches up from the bottom) Then boil up some sugar water. About 1/2 water to 1/2 sugar. Let it cool, then pour a couple of inches in bottle. Replace the cap and hang it from a tree. The yellow jackets will crawl in the holes for the food but can't crawl out. All they want to do is fly upwards. Eventually, they die and fall into the water. Be carefull throwing away the old bottle when you feel like it. Then replace it with a new one. I have many hummingbird feeders and found that this is the only way I can keep them under control. Shiza

With a little bit of patience, you can 'train' a hummer to sit on your finger while feeding. I learned that years ago, and still do it today. We have a smallish tree with fairly large leaves (Carolina Silverbell) in our back yard, near the patio. In the summer, we give it a good spray to soak down the leaves and within moments many hummingbirds will come to take an evening bath in the water collected on the foliage. It's one of the ONLY times they'll stop bickering with each other! (Those darned 'Hummingbird Wars'.) One more story. As you know, hummingbirds are probably the first bird to wake up, punch in, and begin their work day. I used to live in an apartment with a french door that opened to a small patio and back yard. There was no screen on the door, but I would open it in the early mornings just to hear the sounds and smell the fragrances before dawn. A noisy little female hummingbird started peeking in the door every morning. At first, she was very shy but within a few days began venturing inside the apartment....a little further each day. Squeaking loudly the entire time, by the way. My little dog and I would sit quietly while she literally made the rounds of my living room (which was still dark), always examining the fish tank and most of the reflective surfaces. If I was late to get up, she would be at the door waiting for me, squeaking her head off.

I'm saving links/urls and reading and trying to wrap my head around the plethora of information. Thank you all for sharing the links. I feel much more comfortable using reference material that others actually recommend first-hand, rather than a web search that could turn up erroneous material. A few years ago there were some local posts about bees - like in people's walls that they wanted out, but while I had an interest, I had absolutely no clue how to go about collecting them (and as yet, still don't). I have NEVER seen a swarm where I'm at - all I have noted is that I went from seeing some honeybees (gathering nectar from the spots of clover growth - unfortunately some of them killed by accident when stepped on or getting into a shoe) with some regularity but not en masse, to thinking the last honeybee I saw was ONE last year... ONE... horrible, huh? While I understand the sense in capturing a swarm that is unwanted somewhere else (there haven't been anymore local posts like that in a long time), truthfully - based upon my reading in the past and the fact that one (out of four) of my kids is more sensitive/allergic to stings than "most people", I think I would prefer (preference not necessarily meaning it will turn out that way) to get a specific type of honeybee that is known for being "less aggressive". I remembered at least that much from past reading - different types being rated on their nature. I would have to re-read to know which ones were which of course, but I figure I have time. I can scavenge materials for building hives. The only thing I don't feel confident about is jumping into 2 or "even better" 3 right off the bat. I understand the sense of it in the event of something happening and one or another needing some help, but at the same time, jumping right in like that would automatically have me tackling more than I think I'm ready for. Since it will probably be next Spring (???) before it would be "the time" for acquiring "starter stock", I guess I've got time to think on it and weigh things out. While there is unquestionably a shortage of honeybees - we don't seem to be lacking with wasps, carpenter bees, some bumblebees, etc. Would siting a hive or three on the property have an effect with these other insects? I mean I'd happily give up the wasps and hornets and such, but by the same token, would these other types of "bees" pose any sort of threat to honeybees? I've seen other species of critters (generically speaking, but not in reference to bees) compete with one another and territory. If this would be an issue; honeybees I intentionally brought in, is there anything I should or could do to protect the honeybees from other insects? (I suss that other types of bees/wasps/hornets wouldn't be the only insect that could be a threat or problem for honeybees and their hives) There's a section of the property that I could probably get tilled (with a tractor, way too much to handle with a hand-tiller) and sow that is "wide open" and full sun... right now that section is all-natural with a mix of grasses, "weeds", and some small spots of clover dotting it. What would you all recommend as a "choice" plant to sow it with (it would still be mixed because I won't use a blanket poison to kill what already exists there and tilling wouldn't nix all of the stuff either) for honeybees? I know there's more than just "clover" as a crop for them.... and I'm trying to think-ahead in that I would like to still mow (it's enough space that I mow with a tractor and bush-hog) it. I get less than positive comments when I let it grow up completely (because it looks like it should be baled :) so *ideally* I'd like something that would still bloom for honeybees but not grow terribly tall. I don't mind letting it grow to say around 6 inches tall - give or take, but the shorter while still being able to bloom, would be better. That area is also a section of the property that is used by multiple canines and people for recreation - so would I encounter issues between "us" and honeybees for use of the space or ...? I'm not explaining this very well I'm afraid. I'm just trying to keep everyone happy, ya know? We need to be able to live in harmony with the honeybees - rather than me ending up with complaints from "everyone else" about the honeybees. (hence, all of my questions and research before I jump in) I *might* be able to arrange fair use of another small chunk of property owned by family that could be sown for honeybees and hives kept there - but in the event that I could use that, the competition I already know I would encounter for the bees, would be deer and rabbits grazing. They feel totally safe grazing there and my family actually spent the last several years putting out corn for the deer and providing them with water as well. I only have sporadic and late-night visits from the deer myself as they are far more cautious on my property because of the dogs who usually don't ignore their presence except late at night. The deer and rabbits though, especially when we have high heat and drought like now, become incredibly bold in their quest for high-moisture content greens and will come right up to the homes - they pretty much destroyed shrubs and other plants last year and beginning this year that they had never before bothered and even "deer resistant" plants (that taste bad). So I have a concern about them eating everything intended to grow and bloom for bees.

Are they honey bees or yellow jackets? We have problems with yellow jackets this time of year but during the spring we had a 'swarm' of bees for at least a week. They eventually left but we found if we put out a weaker mix of nectar the bees lost interest. This time of year we use the bee guards to keep the yellow jackets out of the feeders. The guards also prevents the surprise of YJ's popping out of the tubes when the Hummers go to feed! :) You might try adding 1-2 more feeders.........make a stronger nectar mix for the bees in one feeder and hang two extra feeders elsewhere in the yard, filled with a regular mix for the Hummers We have Anna's Hummingbirds year round so we have no fewer than 6-8 feeders to tend to. Come this winter we'll probably have 30 hummers to feed. Below is our favorite feeder, and in the winter we add the large sizes. Here is a link that might be useful: Best feeder