skip to main content

Wasps In Grape Jelly

16 years ago

Is there any way to keep wasps out of grape jelly I set out for the Orioles? The grape jelly feeder is actually a small dish set in one of those hanging bird baths now filled with water to keep the ants out.

The Orioles are now bringing their babies, but it looks like they just sit there and don't eat like they used to.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

Konrad___far_north
16 years ago
I can only think of moving the feeder one's in a while, bees
are not as smart as birds, for bees it will take longer to
find it.

Konrad
lucypwd
16 years ago
What's the idea with the grape jelly? Do other birds eat jelly?
Related Discussions
Cedar Waxwings eating grape jelly
Q
Comments (14)
I never have used frozen fruits. I suspect the Orioles and / or Waxwings responsible for taking our blueberries, strawberries and raspberries before WE can get to them. They like our pears too. :-) For offering jelly we use a shallow dish, like the kind you would put under a flower pot so it doesn't spooge water everywhere. Its shallow and heavy enough that they don't flip the thing when they perch on the edge. So how do you give the Orioles nectar? I placed some in a shallow dish and the starlings had a bath in it. LOL! What a sticky mess they made! Then they needed to rinse off in the regular water birdbaths. Would they drink orange juice? C3D
...See More
Making grape jelly
Q
Comments (1)
I boil and mash the grapes (and apples when I have them) in a pan, then take a bowl, set the colander in it. Pour boiling water over the pillowcase first, over the sink, and wring mostly dry once it's cool enough to touch, then set it in the colander, ladle the mashed fruit in (pour juice in too), then I take that pan, set the colander in it, pour any juice from bowl into pillowcase, take the pan, colander and case to where I hang it (over washer), hang the pillowcase from a sturdy wooden pants hanger with clips over the pan sitting on top of the washer. Leave the colander in the pan to break the fall if the pillowcase falls.
...See More
making grape juice for grape jelly
Q
Comments (1)
You'll get a higher yield if you do. Don't boil, just simmer. Carol
...See More
Robins and grape jelly
Q
Comments (21)
Robins really like fruits, too. While I have never seen one eat an orange slice I have seen them eat a number of ornamental and edible fruits like strawberries, cherries, etc. They eat a lot of crab apple and mountain ash fruit in the late-summer-fall and once most other fruit has fallen or been eaten they switch to hawthorn berries which persist through the winter. At my house I only put out oranges for the orioles, I don't like to fuss with jelly and sugar water, but we've got juniper/cedar trees as a windbreak and they are laden with "berries" and filled with robins. Several years ago, when we lived in an apartment, there was a huge flock of robins and cedar waxwings in the hawthorn trees one day in December or January.
...See More
orrin_h
16 years ago
Lucy, see the thread titled 'who has a sweet tooth'. Konrad has some lovely photos of many species enjoying a jelly treat.

-O-
donald lucius
16 years ago
i have orioles and tanagers and grosbeaks and woodpeckers and magpies that all eat grape or apricot jelly or jam.
spedigrees z4VT
16 years ago
Just a cautionary note: be sure that the jam or jelly you put out for the birds is sweetened with sugar and NOT high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or other artificial sweetener. Judging from the effect these substances have on humans and honeybees, it can't possibly be good for birds.
glad2garden
16 years ago
I was wondering about the HFCS, but the jellys without it are so expensive.

Another thing I noticed is that the birds don't like the cheap jelly from PriceRite. They like Welch's a lot better. I think it actually has more grape smell. But then there's corn syrup in it. Oh, sheesh.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Try California Wild Grape for Interest All Year

By Debbie Ballentine

Sure, it’s stunning in fall. But the spring buds, summer grapes and gnarled winter vines are gorgeous too

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Sea Grape, a Hardy Coastal Delight

By Steve Asbell

Up to the high-tide line or even indoors, sea grape draws smiles for its looks and cheers for its tenacity

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Great Design Plant: 'Charity' Oregon Grape

Giving nectar to hummingbirds and delicious berries to all, 'Charity' is a four-season garden delight that lives up to its name

GARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIES Garden for Wildlife to Reap Rich Rewards

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

When you plant with animals and insects in mind, you make gardening easier, the planet healthier and yourself more present

FURNITURE Second-Life Sofas Show First-Rate Style

By Mary Jo Bowling

With unexpected upholstery, antique sofas can live happily in modern interiors

TRANSITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: Embracing Old and New in a Montana Bungalow

By Becky Harris

This home’s exterior fits the historic neighborhood, but its new, more modern floor plan fits the owners’ lifestyle

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

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

LANDSCAPE DESIGN See 5 Unexpected Ways to Use Vines

By Falon Mihalic

Vines can grow over slopes, trail off pergolas and add seasonal color to the garden

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING Bid Bad Garden Bugs Goodbye and Usher In the Good

By Matt Kilburn

Give ants their marching orders and send mosquitoes moseying, while creating a garden that draws pollinators and helpful eaters

Sponsored

More Discussions

ID OWL IN S.E. MICHIGAN z5b

0