Bees in Bird Feeders

“Charlotte are these your bees? They are taking over my hummingbird feeders and I don’t know how to make them leave. Will they attack me?” — Robin

Bees in Bird Feeders

Hi Robin, I doubt those bees in your hummingbird feeders are mine, you live more than 20 miles from my house. At their best, bees travel 5 miles from their hives but I understand the challenge of having them taking over your hummingbird feeders.

Here are some ways to keep bees out of hummingbird feeders:

• Use a red hummingbird feeder. Bees are less attracted to the color red than hummingbirds are, so using a red feeder can help to deter bees.

• Get nectar guards. Nectar guards are small screens or disks that fit over the feeding ports of hummingbird feeders. They make the holes too small for bees to get through, but they allow hummingbirds to feed.

• Plug leaks. Bees are attracted to the sweet smell of nectar, so any leaks in your feeder will only attract more bees. Make sure your feeder is leak-proof.

• Keep the feeder in the shade. Bees are less active in the shade, so keeping your feeder in a shady spot can help to deter them.

• Relocate the feeder frequently. Bees will eventually learn where your feeder is located, so relocating it every few days can help to keep them guessing.

• Use a decoy feeder. You can also try using a decoy feeder to attract the bees away from your hummingbird feeder. Fill a shallow bowl with a stronger sugar solution than you would use for hummingbirds, and place it in a sunny spot. The bees will be attracted to the stronger solution, and they will leave your hummingbird feeder alone.

• Use essential oils. Bees are repelled by certain essential oils, such as peppermint and eucalyptus. You can add a few drops of essential oil to the water in your hummingbird feeder, or you can rub the oil on the outside of the feeder.

It is important to note that some of these methods may not be effective for all bees. If you have a particularly persistent problem with bees, you may need to try a combination of methods.

Here are some additional tips to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders:

• Clean your feeder regularly. Bees are attracted to the smell of dirty feeders.

• Use fresh nectar. Old nectar can ferment and attract bees.

• Do not overfeed the hummingbirds. Bees are attracted to the sweet smell of nectar, so overfeeding the hummingbirds will only attract more bees.

• Plant flowers. Hummingbirds need nectar and pollen to survive, so planting flowers in your yard will help to attract them away from your feeder.

Bees turn to hummingbird feeders when they can’t find food in nature so planting plants that bloom in summer will help to keep them fed and away from your hummingbird feeders.

Charlotte

Keeping Drinks Safe From Bees

Bees will follow sweet drinks, here raiding a hummingbird feeder in my garden.

Keeping Drinks Safe from Bees

"I have bees getting into my drinks by the pool....Is there something I can do to keep them out? -- Mary.

Hi Mary,

I'm guessing you see more bees around your swimming pool late summer, say July-September? That's when my bees start raiding hummingbird feeders at my house and start checking my water glasses.

Bees, like all animals, need water. They tend to look for water with minerals they need at different times of the year. They also raid hummingbird feeders and swimming pools late summer because the colony numbers are at their highest and they need help keeping the colony cool with an easy access to water.

To keep bees out of my water glass, I use an old peanut butter jar lid to keep bees out of my water glass.

When I have something I want to save, like earrings or plant seeds, I turn the jar lid over.

I turn the peanut butter jar lid over to hold something I don't want to loose, like a ring.

Give that a try and let me know how that works for you, thanks!

Charlotte

What Are These Bees Doing??

I found these bees on a log, looks like a tiny after swarm at Bluebird Gardens Bee Garden!

What Are These Bees Doing?

"What are these bees doing" represents one of the largest category of questions we get at our local monthly bee club meetings Sometimes the behavior is easy to diagnose; then, especially without a visual or photo, there's no telling so the discussion tends to be a series of ideas shared. New beekeepers get completely confused, more experienced beekeepers get to indulge in flights of fancy. Of fancy bees in flight! 

My Mystery Bees

I was feeding sugar water to my three nucleus boxes one morning. Nucleus boxes have 5 frames, half the size of a regular hive box and are used to get colonies started.

I was encouraging them to draw out wax so they could get a jump start on the season when I found the little group of bees in the picture hanging out on an old limb on the ground. I didn't see a queen but it sure looked like a little "after swarm" so I quickly pulled out another empty nuc and placed it next to the limb.

Within minutes, the bees were marching into the nuc box and settling on the comb-drawn frames.

I never did see a queen so a week or so later, I combined them with another established colony not knowing why they were on the log in the first place. It's one of the delights, and challenges, of beekeeping so keep asking those questions and sharing your answers. It's how we all become better beekeepers!

Charlotte