How do you keep bees away from your hummingbird feeders? Almost everyone who feeds hummingbirds has had to deal with bees competing for the delicious nectar. Yellow jackets, wasps, and hornets are especially frustrating because these …

May 20, 2024 · Discover seven smart and easy ways to keep bees and wasps away from your hummingbird feeders, without harming these pollinators. Courtesy Marsha Boissy. “How do I keep bees away from my hummingbird feeder?” asks reader Darlene Clay of Myerstown, Pennsylvania. Feeders filled with sugar water attract hummingbirds.

The most 100% effective way to keep bees off your hummingbird feeder is to get a Qtip, dip it in vegetable oil, spread the vegetable oil around the top of the feeder but not on the little hole where the hummingbird places its beak to eat. The bees will land on the feeder, not like the sticky oil on their feet, and just leave.

Jun 18, 2024 · These expert-recommended tips explain how to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders so you can enjoy the beautiful birds without the buzzing pests. The same sugary nectar in a hummingbird feeder that attracts the charming birds may also lure unwanted insects, including bees and wasps.

Jun 3, 2024 · Although hummingbirds can drive off some bees or wasps, they stay away from feeders crawling with stinging insects. It’s hard to say, but they may feel that the risk of getting stung is just too high. One of the easiest solutions is using feeders that make it impossible for bees and wasps to eat.

Aug 18, 2024 · Some of the best deterrents to keep bees away from feeders are avoiding the color yellow, adding bee guards so they cannot reach the nectar, regularly cleaning the feeder, and providing plenty of other nectar sources for the bees.

May 19, 2024 · Want to keep bees occupied? Offer them their own buffet! Planting nectar-rich flowers like sunflowers, lavender, and marigolds draws bees away from hummingbird feeders. This strategy not only keeps bees busy but also beautifies your garden.

Mar 8, 2024 · To keep bees away from your hummingbird feeders, try tweaking the sweetness of the nectar. A study shows that bumblebees, which can detect slight variations in sugar concentration, prefer nectar with high sugar content, ideally between 42% and 65%.

Set up a small, separate feeder with diluted sugar water away from hummingbird feeders to distract and detract bees. Open containers of overripe fruit also give bees an appealing alternative food source.