Keeping Bees and Ants out of Hummingbird Feeders
Articles from Best Garden Bird Feeders
Hummingbird feeders contain sugar water which will not only attract the lovely hummingbirds but also some visitors you don’t want! Ants bees and wasps will invade your feeder if you don’t take some precautions!
picture by Timothy K Hamilton
Keeping Ants out of Hummingbird Feeders
First of all when you are shopping for your hummingbird feeder select a dripless feeder. If you can also get one with a built in ant moat this will be even better. The ant moat can be filled with water. Don’t use any other liquid in the moat like oil as many small birds will drink from the moat. If the feeder does not have a moat make one. Take a spray can top and run the hanging wire through it.Seal the hole with silicone sealer or glue. Another good method is to paint the moat at the bottom with a sticky substance called Tanglefoot and install the moat with th open side downwards. Tanglefoot is very effective at trapping ants and is not toxic to the birds in any way. It will last a long time as it is unaffected by rain or dust.
Keeping Bees and Wasps out of Hummingbird Feeders
Bees and wasps have been found to be attracted to anything that is yellow so choose a feeder of a different color.or remove any yellow parts on your feeder. Feeders can be purchased with bee guards. HummZinger feeders are insect proof as the level of the feeding solution is too low for the insects to reach but accessible by the hummingbirds with their long tongues.
Aspects HummZinger Rose Fancy Hummingbird Feeder
Click here for more information on the Aspects Hummzinger Rose Fancy Hummingbird Feeder
The Opus glass hummingbird feeder has two bee resistant ports.
Opus Hummingbird Feeder Glass 10oz
10 oz. glass hummingbird feeder. durable, tempered clear glass nectar container. two bee resistant feeding ports. dimensions (h x w x l) : 6.37 x 4.19 x 4.25
Click here for more information on the Opus Hummingbird Feeder Glass 10oz
You could also reduce the sugar content of the feeding solution to 1 part sugar to 5 parts water t make it less attractive to the insects. Remove the feeder for a day or two if wasps or bees are congregating around it. Replace in a new position and the insects may not find it again. Another thing you could try is to mix up some more concentrated sugar water, place it in a saucer (preferably a yellow one to be more attractive) and place the saucer near to the feeder. Gradually move the saucer away from the feeder until the bees stop using it.