Hi all you hummer experts, I had a problem with my hummer feeder this autumn - see the picture. How do I keep the bees away next year. It took them 2 weeks after I removed the feeder to stop coming back to look for it and I worry about my grandchildren getting stung, at least one has an allergic reaction to bee stings. All help appreciated.
Isn't that aggrevating? I had wasps and yellow jackets all over mine last year. I put olive oil around the feeder so it was slippery. I believe it did help. This year I didn't have any on mine! No idea why, but SO glad to get rid of the red wasps.
I don't know if this works or not, but I read somewhere that the yellow color of the 'flower' on a hummer feeder is a super wasp attractant. I switched to a feeder that is all red, and it seems that I have fewer wasps than before. But I still get wasps..............
Pat
I put a wasp trap a few feet away and fill it with apple juice and the wasp pheromone/ attractant. They usually leave my feeder alone. I also have a vicious little hummer that has a black head and lavender throat that has no problem attacking bees and wasp that get too close to HIS feeder. I adore that one and call him Angus.
I haven't tried this because I didn't have that problem this year. But I have heard that if you rub Vaseline around the holes, then it makes it too slippery for the wasp to hang on. Worth a try.
I use a butter bowl lids and keep it filled with nectar for the bees and wasp and they stay away from the hummer feeders. Just place several around your yard where you can. I put them on the porch rails. I would never use any oil or other stuff on the feeders that the hummers could ingest and die from
Thanks for the suggestions - I've been away for a week or so and am just catching up, so I appologise for not coming back sooner. I think I will get a new feeder for nest year with no yellow, and I might try olive oil on the surface too - that shouldn't hurt the hummers but will make it jolly slippery.
Thanks again for the tips.
