Bees! (1 Viewer)

Ants are easy! How do I discourage the bees?!?

All my feeders have "bee guards" but that doesn't seem to keep them away. The worst offenders are the feeders with two-part feeding sections. They seem dry and not sticky at all, so I didn't think they were leaking, but the bees tend to congregate around the seam.

Should I glue the two parts together? If so, what should I use that wouldn't contaminate the nectar?

Thanks!

hello Flash,
You are probably using gravity-type feeders from what I understand.I recommend two things:
1) Use saucer style feeders and your bees will have a hard time gaining nectar because It can't leak out.Only the hummers with their long toungues can reach the sweet stuff.They come with an ant moat to keep ants at bay.

2) Plant more nectar-rich flowers so the nectar source is spread around your yard and the bees won't concentrate on the feeders. Salvias, Cuphea ,Firebush ,Coral Bean and Shrimp plant are good choices for your zone.
Enjoy your hummers! Ours up here are gone -Stephen

Excellent response. I would not have recommended anything different.

Mark
Bastrop, TX

stephennj said:

2) Plant more nectar-rich flowers so the nectar source is spread around your yard and the bees won't concentrate on the feeders. Salvias, Cuphea ,Firebush ,Coral Bean and Shrimp plant are good choices for your zone.
Enjoy your hummers! Ours up here are gone -Stephen

Click to expand...

Thanks. I guess I'll try the saucer-style. It's interesting that they show little interest in the one el-cheapo plastic gravity-style feeder which has the sealed one-piece feeder section.

In any event, I planted salvia and firebush around the area where the feeders are located last year, not to mention the lantana that comes up everywhere, and there are numerous "wildflowers". The salvia is just now starting to bloom a little again since Hurricane Wilma, as is the Panama Rose, but I don't expect to see any blooms on the firebush plants for weeks.

I suspect you're right, though. The hurricanes this year really did a number on the trees and plants, so I guess it's only natural that the bees are looking for alternative sources of nectar. Of course, that's probably how I wound up with the Hummers!

:cat:

Thanks!

I had a bee problem too with a dish type feeder. I tried spraying them with water, but it didn't help. Then I started to worry that they might be Africanized bees! Didn't want to anger them. So, I asked about it at my 'bird' store. They suggested moving the feeder to a different spot and not filling it so full. The bees were able to access the nectar through the hole because I had filled the feeder to just below the lid. I moved my feeder and only put half the nectar as usual. It worked. No more bees.

If used properly, the saucer feeder works.