What flowers do Bees NOT like, but Hummingbirds LOVE?

A couple I know are both allergic to bee stings, but they love hummingbirds. She's bedridden, but can see out a picture window onto their porch. They'd love to put a potted, flowering, plant that she can watch the Hummers feed from on the porch, but it must be something that won't draw bees. They've discussed the possibility of putting up a sugar feeder, but it is my experience that those usually draw bees, even if they don't drip!

He already has his hands full taking care of his wife, so I'm hoping to figure out what plant they could grow that would feed the Hummers for just watering it, while either repelling --or just not attracting-- bees. (There are several healthy hives in the neighborhood.)

"They are renting, and they'll have to get permission to install a hook if one is not already there.
And, they aren't allowed to plant anything in the ground. But, they could put a pot on --or to the side of the top-- of the railing.

By the way, they live in the Inland Empire / Riverside County / California . . . and, although their porch is covered, it is on the *hot & sunny* south side of their MH, so the railing --where they may have to put the pot, or, hang it from above over it-- will likely be getting full sun even on the hottest days of summer.

They do have some sort of table on the porch . . . don't know if it could support a plant closer to the window, and in the shade during the hot parts of the day . . . but , that possibility is certainly worth considering, too . . . maybe more so than having the plant on the railing (which is several feet from her window).

So, I need to narrow down which flowers will grow in the I.E. that draw Hummers, yet do nothing for bees!

(I have several that feed both, so they won't do!)

Thanks!

Red flowering Salvia and flowering tobacco are supposedly great for butterflies and hummingbirds, but not so much for bees. They have trouble reaching into tubular flowers. I do not have personal experience though.

Bees are also supposed to be blind to the color red. So perhaps that's something to consider. I think bees would still fly by because they smell flowers, but they might not linger once they realize the nectar is out of their reach.

Here in UK we grow both Tobacco and Salvia's and bee's do actually visit them, they crawl way inside the trumpet shaped flowers, don't know about your area but, there are hundreds of different type of bees from Honey bee's to solitary bees, all require pollen.

I would try the sugar feeder, you can I believe add food colouring to the sugar / water mix and hang up different colours and see which kind or pollen feeding birds / insects arrive at what different colours attract what.

I'm not too sure that bees could feed from the sugar feeders as the ones I've seen hang up have quite long tubs that the humming birds have to insert there long beaks into and bee's do not have this equipment.
Worth a try anyway and maybe lots of pleasure for a house bound patient.
Good luck and kindest regards.
WeeNel.

The longest trumpet flowers are the best, and red is better.

Bees see blue the best, though they will come to other flowers. They have a short tongue and cannot feed from narrow tubular flowers.

Pineapple sage has such narrow, red flowers and mine attracted humming birds, not bees, even though I had hives in my back yard at the time. The smallest variety would work in a container.
There are many sages, look for the narrowest, longest flowers, preferably red to orange.
Verbenas and Lantana attract butterflies. I have not seen many bees on them. OK in containers. I would select the reds, especially.

You might also look at a list like this, see what is available in your area that will fit in the container.
http://www.dianeseeds.com/flowers/hummingbirds.html
All the plants listed in the main list will grow in 9a or 9b. Some get way too large for a container, though.

Honeybees and other bees will feed on all the humming bird feeders I have seen. Even with 'bee guards' they can somehow get to the sugar water.

Bees are most attracted to blue flowers.

Both bees AND hummingbirds, as well as butterflies,
are looking for nectar.

Butterflies are attracted to yellow, and flowers shaped
like cushions, ie: zinnias, aquillegia, scabiosa,
lantana, Echinacea... I mention this so you can get ideas,
not so much because thet are the best or the only ones.

Hunmers are most attracted to red, orange, hot pink, purple,
and prefer tubular flowers. Their beaks are designed to
delve deep into tubular flowers. As noted above, bees'
tongues are short so the bees cannot access long tubular
blossoms.

In this case, I would not recommend feeders, they take
work, need regular cleaning and changing: basically time
the husband does not have. The sugar water can
become fermented in hot climates, causing drunkenness
or poisoning of the birders, and bees WILL do anything
they can to get to the feeders, so they WILL BE attracted
to the feeder and you really don't want that near where
humans pass by, especially if the humans are allergic to
bee stings.

Good luck !

Tgey al

Yesterday on natGeo, there was a documentary oh hummingbirds.

They said bees are color-li in regards to red and green : they cannot
see them !

So to avoid bees, put plants with green foliage and red blooms.

My favorite hummer attractors these days are Dyckias. Some of the garden variety hybrids may bloom almost continuously once they get to full size. Once the birds learn where they are, they become regular visitors. Bees find them uninteresting as they are tubular. Dyckias can take the sun and a fair amount of neglect, though their flowering behavior is greatly improved if you give them intermittent nutrients.

Baja C, what do you feed them ?

DynaGro 7-9-5, 1/2 tsp per gallon. Whatever you have around will work just fine. I don't think it really matters.

Hummingbirds like Crocosmia. Tubular, red-orange flowers, easy to grow.

My husband reminded me this morning that the bumble bees actual seem to chew a hole at the base of Crocosmia flowers and get at the nectar that way. Honey bees can't/don't seem to do that.

Sorry I made the suggestion, I had completely forgotten. We had a hummingbird come around this morning to check things out while we were at the breakfast table. The Brazilian sage has started, but the Crocosmia hasn't bloomed yet. I can't remember if the bees like the sage or not.

That is good info, lemon . thanks

My hummers like the cobalt blue sage/salvia and I have never seen bees on the blue flowers.

Another plant the hummers seem to like that the bees don't seem to bother is the red salvia called, "Lady in Red".

We have red pentas and I have only noticed the butterflies all over them.