Hummingbirds and bees do not get along well, but they do have similar dietary needs, so it’s no surprise when the sweet nectar in your feeders start attracting bees as well as hummingbirds, sometimes even on a daily basis. The problem is that a feeder taken over by bees and wasps become unattractive to hummers, and they eventually stop coming altogether.
Having ‘bees’ at one’s feeders can often just mean that there are swarms of wasps, bumblebees, yellow jackets, and hornets, and if there are enough of them, they can even scare the hummingbirds away.
Honey bees are more likely to come if you have bee-keeping neighbors, and then you cannot use any kind of chemicals to drive the bees away or kill them. In any case, it won’t be a good idea to drive them away completely as your garden needs them too, so we are not going to discuss any chemical warfare here. Following are some natural ways that might help keep bees and wasps out of hummingbird feeders. You may still spot a few flying around, but that should be manageable.
Commercial insect sprays and traps are never recommended as they may harm the hummingbirds.
Bee proofing the feeders means making the feeding holes smaller so no bees and wasps can get into it, though the hummingbirds can still access it. There are commercial guard tips available that works, and here are a few:
Aspects 384 Nectar Guard Tips
Cheaper than most other similar products, there are 12 tips per pack. |
Perky-Pet 205Y Replacement Bee Guards
Mesh-style guards fit most feeders and work well, though they might be a bit costly. |
Droll Yankees NGT Nectar Guard Tips
Available as 12- and 24-piece packs, the delicate tips need to be replaced once every year. |
You can also bee-proof your feeders yourself – here is a YouTube video for the DIY.
Though most feeders are promoted as being bee-proof, they don’t always succeed in keeping the bees out. But, the shape of the feeder might have a role to play, as saucer-shaped or disk feeders have been seen to attract fewer bees than top-mount bottle feeders. The nectar remains below the cover in a disk feeder, which probably keeps the insects away.
Our Recommendations for Saucer Hummingbird Feeders |
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Juegoal 16 oz Hanging Hummingbird Feeder
A 16oz feeder with 8 ports and built-in moat guards, this one is also supposed to keep ants out. |
Droll Yankees Hummingbird Outdoor Feeder
This 10oz feeder has 4 feeding ports, and though it is slightly more expensive, it does come with a cleaning blush and ant moats. |
Aspects HummZinger HighView Hummingbird Feeder
A rather large feeder with elevated perches and 4 feeding stations, it is made of unbreakable material. |
A. Applying cooking oil on the outer surfaces of feeders works in deterring insects but be careful that no oil gets mixed with the nectar. Birds produce their own oil for pruning, and if hummingbirds get extra oil in their system, it might cause their feathers to become too matted, which can interfere with their ability to fly.
In the end, you have to accept that you cannot control the course of nature, and bees are a natural competitor of hummingbirds for food sources. All you can do is stop bees from dominating the feeders so the hummers get a chance to feed peacefully.
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