I've seen some kind of wasp enjoying the feeders, but have seen hardly any bees at all this summer. The ants have been freaking out, trying to stay dry, and much more mobile this year, really annoying. Nicole, that was part of my thought about separating the feeders instead of having both in the same spot. They're around a corner from each other, out of sight, so maybe a diff bird will 'take possession' of each? We were watching a documentary about hummers out west somewhere and the littlest one was chasing off bigger hummers and other birds. What brave little critters! Kind of reminds me of chihuahuas, ready to take on any enemy - and they're all bigger! Mikru, glad you like them! Rhizo, here's the link. You had put it in here. I have some stuff to add to that, now that it's been brought to my attention again. Thanks for remind me of both! DH didn't do anything to alter the pics, but the flash was probably going off. It was a dark, overcast evening, just before dusk. I didn't see that gold-ness until looking at the pics later, not something I could see while they were in action. I think DH looked at this. I know we have a bookmark on this site. Don't know if we are considered gulf coast area or not, it's about 70 miles as the crow flies from our house to the sand. It says most of them would only be seen in passing, but I'm flattered that anyone might think I could tell one from another. DH thought we saw 2 kinds, but we agreed they could be male/female or juveniles/adults. I have no idea, and head is too full of plants, eyesight too poor to try to 'learn hummingbirds' but if we get s'more pics, maybe we can decide what kind(s) has (have) visited. When they go buzzing by, it's hard to even be sure that's what it was...! If they would hold still... This is the same one, forgot to ask before, is it a ruby-throated?

I found a solution that has kept my feeders from dripping and attracting yellow jackets and other unwanted pests. This only works for Humzinger-style feeders (not the standard large flower, smaller feeders.) I bought pipe sealant in the hardware section of my grocery store; pipe sealant is non-toxic. I also bought a roll of plumber's tape--the really thin tape used to help pipes seal up. First I cleaned everything really well. Then popped out all of the flowers and slathered a bunch of I then slathered the pipe sealant around where the flowers go in--you want to use a really good amount--and pushed them back in. I then did the same where the top met the bottom "bowl". Next, I wrapped a generous amount of the plumber's tape around that same place to really seal it up. The pipe sealant comes in little tubes and is kind of like working with toothpaste and putty mixed together. (Note: It doesn't fully dry up. It's not supposed to.) The end result is somewhat ugly with the white tape and the white goop around the flowers, but it sufficiently not only stopped the yellow jackets from coming (they tried and tried, but finally stopped.) You will have to replace the tape and pipe sealant now and then around the base, as it expands and contracts with the day heating up and cooling off--and especially so if it's in direct sunlight like mine are. I have a lot of hummingbirds who come my way all summer and all winter (we have Anna's Hummingbirds here in Oregon, and they don't migrate), and they've been very happy about not having the yellow jackets scare them off in the warmer months.

There are many moths that are collectively called hummingbird moths; it's almost a 'brand name'. They are all members of Sphingidae family, called Sphinx Moths for short. Caterpillars are typically called hornworms. If we had an image of the moth that you saw, we could help with the ID of the caterpillar. However, though caterpillars are vegetation eaters, few hornworms cause enough problems to merit any control. Having an accurate ID of the insect (which KIND of sphinx moth) could point you in the direction of the food source of the caterpillar. They tend to be somewhat host specific, according to species. The adults are extremely interesting little animals, well worth letting the caterpillars have their feast, just to have the moths visit our gardens of an evening. Does that answer your question, or did you have something more specific in mind?

Could you please set up your messaging? Then if you'll message me your address (so we don't put it on the thread where weirdos can find it) and I'll send you some seeds. Heidi This is the link to help you set up your messaging: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3371179/attention-newbies-please-read?n=204