Hummingbirds love feeders that contain great nectar mixtures, but bees also find the nectar irresistible. It is, therefore, vital to understand how to keep the bees away from your hummingbird feeder.
The nectar can become contaminated and unappealing for the hummingbirds when there are too many bugs consuming the sugar water.
Sometimes, too many bees may dominate the feeders, preventing the birds from feeding. Birders need to employ harmless methods of managing their hummingbird feeders and save the nectar for the birds.
There are several ways to keep the bees at bay; however, birders must understand that it is difficult or almost impossible to eliminate 100 percent of the bees attracted to the feeder.
By combining some of the methods to be discussed in this article, it is possible to get most of the bees out of the way without causing harm to the hummingbirds.
Tips For Keeping Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders
Use Bee Guards
Usually, some hummingbird feeders come with bee guards but additional adjustments can be made if the bees still penetrate. You can reduce the feeding holes’ size or install a net to serve as a bee guard.
Typically, hummingbirds have beaks and tongues that are long enough to reach the nectar sources. You can, therefore, put a mesh around the ports of the feeder to prevent bees from passing through.
Installing a bee guard will make the nectar inaccessible to the bees, and they will eventually give up the chase.
Use Feeders with Red Saucers
Another great way to keep bees away from your hummingbird nectar is using a red saucer feeder.
Considering that hummingbirds have long tongues that can reach the nectar while bees can’t, it is a more accessible yet effective method of keeping the bees off the nectar.
Also, bees are not attracted to the color red, like hummingbirds, and a red saucer feeder is not as attractive to the bees as a yellow one.
You can incorporate other accessories such as moats into the feeders to stop the bees without hindering the hummingbird.
To distract the bees, you can make a sugar and water solution that you will place close to the hummingbird feeder. When the bees get attracted to the bowl, you can move the bowl farther away from the hummingbird feeder.
Change The Feeder’s Position Constantly
Hummingbirds frequently visit their food source when they locate one. Constantly relocating the feeders’ position will confuse the bees and keep them away from the feeder.
It is best to move the feeder following a schedule. Usually, bees are on the lookout for only convenient sources, and they will not necessarily look for the relocated feeders.
If you have enough space and several feeding points, you can switch the feeders’ position from one station to another after refilling them. Constantly relocating the feeder is an easy way to accomplish your goal of keeping bees away from the hummingbird feeder.
Use Pretend Feeders
Make a duplicate feeder, but this time, for bees and not for hummingbirds. Using decoy feeders is an effective way to keep bees away from your hummingbird feeder without causing harm to the bees.
The best way to use pretend feeders is to place the feeders close to the hummingbird feeder and place the pretend feeder in full sunlight.
Mix a sweeter sugar and water combination of about five parts water to one part sugar to bait the bees effectively.
Clean The Feeder Daily
One major factor that attracts bees to the hummingbird feeder is the drips of nectar around the feeder.
Also, if the feeders are too full, they can spill to the sides and attract bees.
It is, therefore, important to always keep the feeder clean every time you fill the hummingbird feeders.
Carefully clean the exterior of the feeder and the feeding ports to get rid of spilled nectar.
Also, block any leaks or cracks that might attract bees to the feeder.
Notwithstanding the size, holes from a feeder can result in leaked nectar and attract bees and insects to the feeder.
It is advisable to clean the hummingbird feeder every day. Considering how quickly the process takes, it is an effective method of keeping bees away from the hummingbird feeder.
Bottom Line
It can be discouraging to constantly deal with having bees in your hummingbird feeder because not only do they contaminate the nectar, they can also stop the birds from feeding. However, with these tips above, you can ensure that your hummingbird feeder serves your hummingbirds adequately.
It is important to mention also that employing just one method might not be efficient enough. Still, a combination of approaches will help to reduce the bees dominating your hummingbird feeder drastically. Visit the Lifestyle Reviews homepage for more expert information & advice.
