Hummingbirds are delightful garden visitors, but their feeders can attract unwanted guests: bees. While a few bees won't hurt, a swarm can overwhelm the feeder and discourage hummingbirds. This guide provides effective strategies to keep bees away from your hummingbird feeders without harming them.
Understanding the Attraction
Before tackling solutions, it's crucial to understand why bees are drawn to hummingbird feeders. They're attracted to the sugary nectar, just like hummingbirds. The bright red color of many feeders also plays a role, acting as a visual beacon.
Key Factors Attracting Bees:
- Sugar Concentration: Bees are drawn to highly concentrated sugar solutions.
- Color: Red is a highly attractive color for bees, as it is for hummingbirds.
- Accessibility: A feeder that's easy for bees to access will attract more of them.
- Location: Placing the feeder near flowering plants will naturally draw in bees.
Effective Strategies to Deter Bees
Here are several effective methods to keep bees away from your hummingbird feeders while ensuring the hummingbirds still have access to their food source.
1. Adjust the Sugar Solution
Reduce Sugar Concentration: Bees prefer a higher sugar concentration than hummingbirds. Diluting the nectar solution to a lower sugar-to-water ratio (e.g., 1 part sugar to 4 parts water) can make it less appealing to bees. Hummingbirds can still thrive on this slightly less concentrated solution.
2. Choose the Right Feeder Design
Reducting Accessibility: Bees have difficulty accessing nectar from feeders with smaller feeding ports or those that require more maneuvering. Look for feeders with specialized ports designed to deter bees while allowing hummingbirds easy access.
3. Strategic Placement is Key
Placement Matters: Avoid placing feeders near flowers or areas with high bee activity. Ideally, position feeders in a sunny spot, away from bushes and other bee habitats, in an area with good visibility for hummingbirds to easily spot it.
4. Regular Cleaning is Crucial
Cleanliness is Paramount: Regularly clean your feeder (at least every 2-3 days, but more often in hot weather) to prevent mold and fermentation, which can attract both bees and harmful bacteria. Use a mild solution of warm water and white vinegar or dish soap. Rinse thoroughly and let the feeder air dry completely before refilling it.
5. Consider Bee-Repellent Products (Use with Caution)
Natural Repellents: Some gardeners use natural bee repellents, like peppermint oil or citrus peels near the feeder. While these might deter some bees, effectiveness varies, and they should be used with caution, as they could also deter hummingbirds.
6. Create a Hummingbird-Friendly Garden
Attract Hummingbirds Naturally: Planting hummingbird-attracting flowers will provide them with a natural source of nectar, reducing their reliance on your feeder, thereby decreasing the competition with bees.
Maintaining a Harmony Between Hummingbirds and Bees
Remember, bees are vital pollinators, and eliminating them completely from your garden isn't desirable. These strategies aim to minimize bee presence at your hummingbird feeders while still allowing bees access to other nectar sources in your garden. By combining these strategies, you can create a harmonious coexistence between these beneficial insects and the delightful hummingbirds you enjoy watching.
