Every hummingbird lover has to deal with the bees who get attracted to the food inside of the feeder. The hummingbirds and bees compete for the same food source.
If you arrange a hummingbird feeder in your garden but see the bees enjoy food from there, then the problem is really serious.
However, you can’t deny the contribution of bees to your garden, and they collect sweet honey from the flowers and pollinate the garden.
While they are such an important creature of the ecosystem, you can’t resist them from coming into your garden. But there are certain ways to keep these bees away from the hummingbird feeder.
Ways to Keep Honey Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders?
I Hope, the following ways will take you out of this severe problem. Here these ways are discussed below:
Choose Specific Type Of Hummingbirds Feeder
You can find mainly two types of hummingbirds feeder, one saucer type and the second is bottle type.
These are designed to release the drains slowly in the chamber once the birds consume the nectar. But during the summer, it can drain so fast and leak because of increased pressure.
But these types of unexpected leaks may invite bees and other insects. In that case, the saucer design can work for you as here the nectar will not be dispensed through air pressure.
Keep The Hummingbird Feeder Clean
By keeping the hummingbirds’ feeder clean, you can get rid of bees in your hummingbird feeder. Clean up the spills from the feeder repair or replace parts needed to keep it clean and tidy.
Make sure the area of the hummingbird feeder is also clean. Notice if there are any soda cans or sweet contents that attract bees.
Use Bee Guard
Hummers are present with long beaks and tongues. So, they can consume nectar from the vault of the flower.
You can opt for a bee guard that makes the bees pass through several holes at that time. Eventually, they will get tired and give up soon.
Don’t Use Yellow Hummingbirds Feeder
However, this is the primary reason why bees get attracted to your feeder. There are so many colour options available when choosing the right feeder.
The bees can see the yellow colour, so they get attracted to it. As a result, they will start to visit the hummingbirds’ yellow feeder very frequently.
In that case, you can get red, green, or any light colour. Don’t use purple as the birds can’t see the purple colour well.
Keep the feeders in the shade
There are several benefits of hanging hummingbirds’ feeders in the shade. It will keep the nectar cool and will result in less fermentation.
Fermented nectar poses health risks for the hummer and invites bees also.
Apart from that, the ness likes to eat in full sunlight, which is why the bees travel from one flower to another in full sunlight.
Relocate the feeder Frequently
Move the feeder from one place to another place regularly. It will prevent the coming of bees easily.
The hummingbirds can easily find their food source. But the bees get discouraged once they find the food source less convenient to find.
But you are not advised to keep the feeders on the opposite side of the yard. In that case, the hummingbirds may get deterred from feeding.
Place fake wasp nearby
Take off all the active wasps from the area where you will place the feeder. Now hang some fake wasps under any protected area.
In that case, the bees will come to the fake wasps thinking about their territories. Once they can’t find food there, they will move away from the same place.
Offer substitute feeder
Bees have a lot of contributions to the ecosystem, especially garden flowers. If you want to keep the bees away from hummingbird feeders but want them in your yard, then offer them substitute feeders filled with sugar and water solution.
During springtime and summertime, make the solution two parts of water and one part of sugar. During fall, keep the ratio 1:1 with sugar and water.
The bee’s feeder should be yellow and needs to be placed under open sunlight. But make sure to keep the hummingbird’s feeder available and full always as the sugary syrup may also attract the hummingbirds.
Grow a pollinator garden
Bees prefer to pollinate over 80% of flowering plants, and 70% of them are human food crops. Surprisingly, data shows that bees pollinate 1/3rd of human foods.
If you can arrange bees’ preferred nectar floral source, the bees will not bother the hummingbird feeders. You can also use pollinator seeds to get gorgeous flowers that charm the garden.
Some of the plants that the bees and hummingbirds both like are bee balm, trumpet creeper, Jinia, petunia etc. Except for bee balm, all these flowers come with a radiant yellow colour that attracts the bees.
Use insect traps
You might want to keep the bees away from your yard. But you can’t deny the contribution of bees in your yard. They serve great for your garden via pollination and provide sweet honey.
There are different types of commercial traps available in the market. It would help if you used them sparingly to prevent the insects from getting disrupted.
Hummingbirds and other wild birds eat insects. So it would help if you did not use any harmful insecticides that harm the ecosystem. These chemical insecticides can also contaminate your garden’s flower and nectar source.
It would help if you chose a trap that only targets harmful insects. Try to remove them once you get trouble-free for your hummingbird’s feeder.
What You Should Not Do To Keep Bees Away?
Bees have a lot of contributions to the ecosystem. They help by pollinating the garden and collecting sweet honey. It would help if you did not do anything harmful to them.
Don’t Use Insecticides.
It would help if you never put insecticides in hummingbird feeders, and it can also pose dangerous risks for the bees and hummingbirds. Rather, you can use a strong smell that the bees don’t like.
Smear Oily Substances Over the Feeder
You should never apply oily substances over the feeder, and it will make the place lubricant, and the hummingbirds will not be able to sit here to eat the food properly. Applying oily substances will make the place dirty, which will be tough to clean.
Conclusion
Now you know the easy ways to keep bees away from the hummingbird feeder. Normally, a few bees can visit the hummingbird feeder. But this is not an issue for the whole season.
Certain weather conditions cause a lack of nectar. At that time, the insects get desperate to find food and visit any food source that they find.
You can keep the bees away from the hummingbird feeder with the above ways. Before you do anything that will harm these tiny creatures, they are also a part of your ecosystem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why bees are taking over the hummingbird feeders?
The honey bees swarm on the hummingbird feeder when they don’t find food for themselves. The bees also prefer the nectar from hummingbird feeders rather than sugar water. But when the nectar comes in short supply, they get desperate and steal sugar water from anywhere. You can notice this, especially during winter, where there is less flower source.
Q: Are hummingbirds afraid of bees?
No, they aren’t afraid of each other. But often, they compete with each other for their nectar-loving nature. Sometimes, the bees take over the hummingbird feeder, but they don’t attack each other. The hummingbirds also avoid the areas with so many bees.
Q: Are there any scents that keep the bees away?
Yes, certain scents keep the bees away, such as cinnamon, garlic, and peppermint. The bees generally prefer sweet-smelling flowers. So, if you have planted these types of flowers in your yard, then the bees are likely to visit your place frequently. You can also plant marigolds in your garden. Bees don’t like this flower despite its yellow colour as this flower doesn’t have a sweet smell.
