For the first time ever I have a mass of small flies almost covering the bee guards on my hummingbird feeders. I've had a few in the past but this year it's bad enough I wonder how they effect the Hummers feeding and if there's a way to discourage them. They even crawl through the guards and wind up inside the feeders!
Any ideas? Is this going to be a problem for the Hummers or am I overly concerned?
Flies @ Hummingbird Feeders
I don't usually have flies....bees sometimes due to small leaks. I use a flybait trap to draw the flies away from the doors of the house, so it captures their attention.
Thanks for the reply. That's an idea but at least one of my feeders is close to the back door...Hmmmm, have to give that some thought.
There are some feeders with smaller holes that can keep out the insects.
And one of the manufacturers is coming out with a 'bee proof' feeder sometime later this year. Don't know when.
As for keeping the flies away from the feeders altogether, they say be sure there are no leaks. Otherwise you will have to resort to some kind of chemical trap, etc., I think. Flies and bees are such a nuisance on these hot summer days.
I wonder if the HBs eat the flies? They say they love insects...?
Hummies will eat fruit flies and gnats. I have citrus trees in my backyard and when there is rotting fruit I on the ground I often see the hummies zipping in and out of the clouds of gnats and fruit flies catching that flying food.
~ Cat
I wish I would see some of that zipping in to snap up some of the flies and gnats around here.
I read in a book that 70 percent of an HBs diet is protein (insects) but I haven't noticed ours going after them.
Don't know about the hummers but this red dragonfly snatched one out of mid-air as we watched and ate it. You see the fly's leg still visable when we got the camera out.
I did some reading about hummers just a few years ago. It is fairly hard to attract them in my part of the country. From what I found, they believe that the insects are beneficial to their diet. I guess just like they would get a few when they were sipping nectar from flowers....