skip to main content

Hummingbird Garden

Bees in the hummer feeders

14 years ago

I have been feeding hummers here in San Antonio, Texas for years and never had this problem.

I think it could be because of the draught or there may be a hive close by.

Nonetheless, my hummers can't feed due to the bees always on them.

I have removed the feeders for now, thinking the bees will go away after a couple of days, my poor little hummers.

If anyone has a better idea, please, please let me know.

I miss my babies already!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

eigdeh
14 years ago
Not from experience, but I have read that if you move the feeder it will take the bees a while to find it, where as the hummers will find it right away. You might want to hang them quite a few feet from where they were till you get a more permanent solution.
rob_a
14 years ago
I live in San Antonio to, and I dont have problems with wasps or bees. They will come to sugar water on the outside of your feeders, and I don't let that happen.

Just be sure your feeders don't leak and the winds don't spill nectar out of your feeders, and the wasps and bees will go away.

My problem is with the crazy ants. I use ant moats to keep them off the feeders. Good luck.
Related Discussions
What kind of bees are these at the hummer feeder?
Q
Comments (3)
Thanks pvtpilot; I'm thrilled to have some honey bees in my garden! I have 2 hummer feeders, and no bees on the second one, so I'm just going to leave that feeder alone and let the workers have their fun ;)
...See More
Intruders on the feeder
Q
Comments (6)
Hi! Take pictures! The finches need water, and if they don't have any flowering nectar from shrubs then they just might be needing that too, but I am a gardner and bird lover that has observed the yellow finches return to my yard for 10 years. They head right to the wall fountain and drink more then bathe. The sticky stuff from your B-52 finches bombing into it is the same mess I had when the wind would blow, my dog knew to stand under it and lick some up, meanwhile, the top of his head looked like hair gel as it dried! So I took a sizable container planter that just had some potting mix it it. It solved the problem by catching any overflow dripping.
...See More
A new problem with red commerical nectar reported
Q
Comments (9)
Some stores have stopped selling the nectar with red dye but Perky Pet is one company that has been contacted and refuses to pull it off the market because they believe that is where their repeat sales are. Ken this didn't happen overnight. Honeybees are not normally drawn to feeders very much but I was told by bee keepers last year that because plant breeders are altering the natural chemistry of so many plants....bigger blooms, higher yeilds, new colors etc. that nectar production is being compromised and this is causing our bees to go to hummer feeders more for the nectar that they need. consequently the red dye is showing up more and more in cells within the hives. Here again man is destroying the natural order of nature in order to make a profit. Penny
...See More
Fighting off bees..........
Q
Comments (13)
Much as I hate to upset the natural order of things (bees, and wasps are generally beneficial), sometimes you have to find the source of the problem and eliminate it. Bees are both too valuable and hard to hive-find to kill. Most wasps kill so many pest insects (especially caterpillars) that I would be loath to kill them. There is an area in my woods where ground-burrowing blue wasps bring and bury an endless stream of pest bugs in August (for egg-laying). I take pains not to disturb them. I make an exception for yellow jackets, though. They can be a real problem in the yard and I eliminate them (sadly but mercilessly). I've been stung too often and subjected to nearly house-arrest for some swarming activities. Mainly, I've never seen a yellow jacket carrying a pest insect. So I don't think they are very beneficial. And you crush one and it releases a chemical that activates the others to attack. So, anyway, I have an idea about eliminating wasps and bees from hummer feeders. Why not epoxy a 1/4 to 3/8 inch of aquarium tubing over the hummer feeder openings? That ought to prevent any insects from getting at the nectar but not disturb the hummers. I'm not going to do that myself cause I'm not having a bee/wasp problem (so it would be no test), but maybe someone who IS havin the problem could test the idea.
...See More
penny1947
14 years ago
texasfern,
If you are having a problem with actual honeybees and not yellow jackets or other wasps, they are looking for moisture and nectar that is becoming harder for them to find because of the hot and dry weather you all are having. A friend in Calif. solved her honeybee problem by providing a large 'nectar bowl' just for them away from the feeders. She used a chick feeder/waterer from a feed store but any large shallow container would work. just fill the shallow container with sugar water and place it away from your feeders. The honey bees will get the nectar and water they need and leave the feeders alone. I used this method last year when we had a hot dry season and it does work. You may have to relocate your hummer feeder also until the bees find 'their' feeder.

Penny
texasfern
Original Author
14 years ago
They are honey bees. The yellow jackets left a while back.
I took in the feeders yesterday, put them back out today, bees found them first. I will try the nector bowl next.
Geez, I miss my hummers.
hummersteve
14 years ago
I think penny's idea of the sugar bowl is a good one to draw the honeybees away from the feeder although it hasnt helped my wasp and yellow jacket situation much.

My first nature feeders seem to be pretty much bee free, so next season think I will upgrade to the 32oz FN feeders in place of my pp209 in which the base is hard to clean and keep clean. Surprised I havent done that already. Those even hold more liquid as opposed to the 30oz glass 209 feeders. I will still keep the one 209 that I have and may use it if needed.
texasfern
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks everyone.
I took your idea Penny, thanks. Not sure if it helped, because I took the feeders took the front porch and really didn't check the bowl.
The hummers found the moved feeders really quickly.
I have now placed one back on the patio and so far no bees.
Now I can enjoy them while at the computer in the living room and while in the kitchen.
I'm gettin more feeders.
Thanks ya'll.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Attract Hummingbirds and Bees With These Beautiful Summer Flowers

By Annie Thornton

Roll out a welcome mat for pollinators to keep your landscape in balance and thriving

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: 20 Ways to Play Garden Host to Birds and Bees

By Dear Designer's Blog

Perch some of these houses and feeders around your garden, and watch pollinators and feathered friends flock in

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Gardening for the Bees, and Why It’s a Good Thing

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

When you discover how hard bees work for our food supply, you may never garden without them in mind again

FLOWERS Great Design Plants: Penstemon Rostriflorus

By Susan J Tweit

Plant bridge penstemon, also called mountain fountains, for its long-blooming scarlet spikes that act like a living hummingbird feeder

FARM YOUR YARD Hello, Honey: Beekeeping Anywhere for Fun, Food and Good Deeds

By The Best Bees Company

We need pollinators, and they increasingly need us too. Here, why and how to be a bee friend

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Feed Wildlife With Flowering Currant

Blossoms and berries make this plant irresistible to birds, bees and other critters — and a treat for the eyes too

BENEFICIAL INSECTS Attract Pollinators for a Productive Edible Garden

By Abundant City

You can lure bees, butterflies and birds into your yard with the right flowers and nesting spots

GARDENING GUIDES Backyard Birds: Invite Entertaining Hummingbirds Into Your Garden

By Habitat Network

Hummingbirds — unique to the Americas — zip through open landscapes seasonally or year-round. Here’s how to attract them

GARDENING GUIDES 8 Flowers That Hummingbirds Adore

To draw those mesmerizing little birds to your garden or doorstep, plant these flowers that are attractive in more ways than one

GARDENING FOR BIRDS Backyard Birds: How to Identify Two Common Woodpeckers

By Habitat Network

Downy and hairy woodpeckers have similar coloration and behavior. But there are two big differences that separate them

Sponsored

39 Reviews

Ohio's Kitchen Design Showroom |11x Best of Houzz 2014 - 2022

More Discussions

Do you see what I see?

1