Bees vs. Hummingbirds

[Sandy Gould]

We have small bees that look like honey bees swarming our hummingbird feeder on the front porch but not the back patio. We are obviously trying to feed the hummingbirds, but they are having quite a time with the bees! This is the first year that we have seen this "swarming" event. I have washed the feeder with soap and hot water and they still are attacking and emptying the feeder each time it is re-filled. HELP!

[hwilliams]

Sandy Gould wrote: We have small bees that look like honey bees swarming our hummingbird feeder on the front porch but not the back patio. We are obviously trying to feed the hummingbirds, but they are having quite a time with the bees! This is the first year that we have seen this "swarming" event. I have washed the feeder with soap and hot water and they still are attacking and emptying the feeder each time it is re-filled. HELP!

Sandy,

I posted a similar response to someone who was having trouble with wasps. You might want to switch to a different kind of feeder. I assume the current feeder you are using holds the nectar right at the mouth of the feeder ports (or maybe it's leaking?) which allows easy access to bees. Pan-style feeders don't leak and you can fill the reservoir to a level hummingbirds can reach, but is beyond the reach of bees and wasps. Once the bees realize they can't reach the nectar they'll leave for other food sources. Droll Yankee, Humzinger, Perky-Pet and many other manufacturers make pan-style feeders.

Howard Williams
Dallas, Texas

[dragonfly]

You can also try moving the feeder to a shady spot, if it's not already in one. Bees prefer to forage for nectar in sunny spots. We have a hummingbird feeder on our front porch, and I am a beekeeper, so there are plenty of bees around, and they don't congregate at the feeder. You can also try just moving the feeder to a different area of the yard. Bees that find any food source "memorize" where that food source is, and sometimes, if you just relocate it, they won't find it easily.