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06-16-2019 07:40 PM
I have 2 humzinger type feeders up for hummingbirds. I noticed a swarm of bees all over them this morning. I took them down and washed them, made sure no nectar remained on the covering. Hosed the bees away as long as I could. Was ok until tonight, and now their covered again with bees. I haven't had this problem before, and I dont know what else to do. It's sad because the hummers keep trying to feed and the bees literally chase them away. Please, what can I do??
06-16-2019 08:02 PM
Make a solution of sugar water that is sweeter that what is usual for the Hummingbirds. It's usually 1 cup of sugar for every 4 cups of water. Make it 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sugar. Put it another feeder and place it a few feet away from the other. I have some insect catching, glass jars to put it in. The bees crawl in to get to the sweeter water, then can't get back out, Can't remember where I got them, they're so old.
06-16-2019 08:05 PM
Yes, hummers seem to be afraid of bees. Whatever you do, don't be too mean to the bees - we need them!
06-16-2019 08:14 PM
@Dazlin : I hate to kill any bees. If they start swarming my feeders I’ll switch out to 2 small ones I have that have small ports they can’t get into. They try but get discouraged.
I got them at our local garden center and they come with their own hanger one of which has a rail for the hummers to perch if they desire.
They are glass. The bottom looks like the bottom of a jar and is clear. The lid is red and just sits on top of the jar. They each only hold about 1/3 of a cup of nectar but in the summer with the heat I like to change them out often. Depending on how hot it is I might change them every other day. Very easy to clean and dry. I make a mixture to keep in the fridge for a few days and refill from there. Haven’t had to do that yet. No bees but I imagine they will show up
I will have to Google humzinger feeders
06-16-2019 08:21 PM
I couldn't find the glass jars I mentioned, but I found something that works in a similar manner. It's called Rescue Non-Toxic Reusable Trap for Yellowjackets, with refills for later in the summer. Those aren't "bees" you're seeing but yellowjackets. I've caught them specifically for identification. So you won't be eliminating good honeybees.
06-16-2019 08:26 PM
Spray the area around the feeder ports with Unflavored PAM. Yellow Jackets (nasty tempered creatures) don’t like it.
06-16-2019 08:27 PM
@Dazlin : I hate to kill any bees. If they start swarming my feeders I’ll switch out to 2 small ones I have that have small ports they can’t get into. They try but get discouraged.
I got them at our local garden center and they come with their own hanger one of which has a rail for the hummers to perch if they desire.
They are glass. The bottom looks like the bottom of a jar and is clear. The lid is red and just sits on top of the jar. They each only hold about 1/3 of a cup of nectar but in the summer with the heat I like to change them out often. Depending on how hot it is I might change them every other day. Very easy to clean and dry. I make a mixture to keep in the fridge for a few days and refill from there. Haven’t had to do that yet. No bees but I imagine they will show up
I will have to Google humzinger feeders. Ah, my sister has one of those. The ports are big enough for the bees to feed from
06-16-2019 09:55 PM
@Dazlin wrote:I have 2 humzinger type feeders up for hummingbirds. I noticed a swarm of bees all over them this morning. I took them down and washed them, made sure no nectar remained on the covering. Hosed the bees away as long as I could. Was ok until tonight, and now their covered again with bees. I haven't had this problem before, and I dont know what else to do. It's sad because the hummers keep trying to feed and the bees literally chase them away. Please, what can I do??
I had the same problem last year with all 4 of my feeders. You can buy bee guards or guard tips to put on your feeders to keep bees and other insects from getting to the nectar. As soon as I added them to mine last year, the hummers were able to feed again.
06-16-2019 11:23 PM
06-17-2019 06:45 AM
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