It's interesting to me that those who design feeders to be sold don't take into consideration what design(s) work(s). They keep making junk because we keep buying it. In my opinion, there are three big no-no's in hummingbird feeders. 1) The holes through which the juice is accessed must be small: just big enough for the hummers and no more. 2) The distance from the top of the juice to the feeder hole needs to be too long for wasps and bees, but short enough for hummers to get access. 3) The feeder MUST NOT leak. Over the years I have fed thousands upon thousands of hummers.

1-3 times a week or so we get a bully at the feeder. He will perch on the tree branch right between the two feeders and chase all the other hummies away for hours. I'll sit down with the garden hose 10 feet away from the feeders and spray near (not directly at) the bully. This chases him away for only a few seconds. He will fly behind the fence and hide from my site, then immediately come after any hummingbird that comes near. I'll spray at the fence to make him relocate. He will persist and I keep on spraying till after 7-10 minutes he will give up. You would think 4-5 sprays would deter him, but it takes 20-25 times. Persistent little things! Please, Never spray directly at the bird because they are very fragile. Bully or not, we don't want to injur the little brat. He's got his reasons to guard the feeder, we just don't agree haha. Just spraying in his general direction is enough to shoo him away, and eventually make him give up.

Hey, I was wondering why you don't replace those feeders with plants that attract them? My humming birds feeders never work, but boy were they humming around my 'Gold Flame Honeysuckle', and my 'Butterfly Bushes', especially the 'Black Night' one...They love these plants and I have more success with plants that attract than those bird feeders....I had other birds common like sparrows drinking the water though..arg. I planted 5 Honey Suckle and a couple of different types of bushes and let me tell you when I say they come around, and I live in the city...I even saw them in July and the beginning of August)

Yes, but I only use the plastic coated ones to avoid rust stains. The 'gaurd' hummy sits on the top of the hook that goes thru the feeder and chases everyone away at times. We have metal gutters with gutter gaurds but the hook slides thru the opening of the gutter gaurd with no problems. I use smaller plastic feeders for this and they aren't very heavy. In front of the kitchen and dining room windows so I can look at them when doing stuff. You could put a hook in the fascia under the overhang for your feeders. I like them to be under the overhang so they can eat without getting wet when it rains. My garden hooks are also under the eaves and they will sit on the porch during a storm. I am bird crazy--I will zip tie a dead branch to the porch post so they can have a protected place to sit. I sit on the porch and watch them most evenings right before sunset when they are getting their last feeding. It is a very calming relaxing 20 minutes. They get so use to you that they will fly right close and look at you and talk to you.