Do bees at the hummingbird feeders keep the birds away?
Although not greater in number, our hummingbirds this summer seem to be larger than in the past. I think it may be because my husband started making our own nectar, so it's fresher, and might taste better.
Some of the feeders are attracting a large number of bees, possibly for the same reason. My question is, does the presence of those bees make the hummingbirds more likely to choose a different feeder, or go to a different yard altogether?
In Massachusetts, United States, where I live, there are a very few breeds of hummingbirds. The only one that nests here on a regular basis is the Ruby-throated hummingbird, so I'm willing to bet that's what we have. As for the breed of bees, I have no idea.
The picture on the left is an example of bees at one of our feeders. Sometimes they line themselves up completely around the base of the feeder, or even clump up. Others fly around. We don't see hummingbirds eating at the same time. The feeder in the picture on the right is in the same yard about 20 feet away There are no bees, and the bird is happily enjoying the meal.
Click on pictures for larger view.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/q/13880. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Yes, there is actually quite a bit of discussion you can find online. Bees in large numbers can keep hummingbirds away. They don't want to get stung either!
However, you can lessen the bees by doing a couple things. The first is to maybe dilute your concentration of sugar. If you are doing a 4:1 solution of water to sugar you can do a 5:1 and that may make it less enticing.
EDIT: Don't use olive oil. Some people have reported success at not adding to the mixture but around the bottom of the feeder, which detracts the bees. But apparently the chance of it getting on the hummingbird doesn't make it very viable since they can't really clean themselves.
BUT, peppermint extract is harmless and bees and wasps hate the smell. Advice says to rub on the bottom of the feeder. Hummingbirds aren't affected negatively through the smell or touch of it.
This post was sourced from https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/13894. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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