What to do when Bees take over Hummingbird feeder
As you may know the arrival of bees swarming a nectar-filled feeder can be a real nuisance, thus its time to put an end to it so hummingbirds can feed without delay.
What you do when bees take over a Hummingbird feeder is to take the feeder down and pack it away. Soon, bees will be gone providing you clean up the wet or old sugar stain ground below the feeder. When several days have passed with no sign of bees, begin to assemble your hummingbird feeder setup again.
What is essentially a sugar-water filled bird feeder that can attract all kinds of insects, including other bird species and critters like squirrels, must be doubt with or else hummers won't be able to feed.
Why bees are all over your hummingbird feeder is because the nectar is made accessible to bees - as it will when the feeder leaks or isn't maintained regularly.
What to do when bees swarm your hummingbird feeder is to empty the remaining nectar down the drain, clean the feeder before packing it away in the shed or garage.
Store outdoors for hygiene purposes while the wash prior to packing away will guarantee the smell of sugar is finally gone out of your yard.
Bees can smell sugar water in the air quite some distance away which is how they found your hummingbird feeder in the first place.
In addition to cleaning your hummingbird feeder before packing it away for several days, repeat the process by cleaning the area where the hummingbird feeder hangs as the spilled sugar can remain on ground directly below.
Its lot to remember I grant you, but when the hummingbird feeder is put back up, you'll appreciate the time and effort you put in as only hummers are back to using the feeder.
Stay mindful of potential spillages over the hummingbird feeders use, as it will need cleaning up before bees can smell it, which they can up to a mile away.
On top of that, you'd want to steady the hummingbird feeder as the littlest of wind can spill nectar, but unfortunately so can squirrels attacking hummingbird feeders causing it to spill on the ground.
Unavoidable I know so when woodpeckers turn up at feeders, that in itself is whole different ball game - with techniques required to prevent larger birds on the nectar-filled hummingbird or even oriole feeders must to avoid exposing nectar.
Briefly pack away feeders
Don't waste any time when you begin to notice bees swarming your hummingbird feeder, as an unknown issue is potentially developing that you must investigate.
I suspect it won't be known until several days have past until you can put your finger on the exact cause. While in the meantime I think its time to empty your feeder of the remaining nectar, clean the feeder so you can finally pack it away.
I assure you by simply packing up your hummingbird feeder to delay use for several days can at least send bees packing elsewhere.
And that is exactly what you want to happen with hummingbird feeders put in storage, as it will provide time for bees to disappear, possibly for good.
Personally I can't tell you how long you should postpone use of your hummingbird feeders in of the yard, it really does depend on personal circumstances.
I don't believe it would be more than a week with no hummingbird feeder in use, after that you can think about starting use of your feeders again.
What is going to be a possible cause of bees continuing to come to your sugar-water filled feeder, is of course sugar water.
With that I highly recommend you up your game in frequency of which you clean the hummingbird feeders exterior, which is where bees can smell out the sugar.
Clean area of spilled sugary-water
Now that you've packed away your hummingbird feeders for a few days to give enough time for bees to find food elsewhere, its time to get rid of any remnants of sugar spilled anywhere under the feeder.
Its vitally important to clean the hummingbird feeder for maintenance purposes as is, but sugar can damage the feeder thus its vital to clean it as often as you can for as long as you are using it.
Downside is the hummingbird feeder attracts bees due to an unkempt feeder which is just what you may be experiencing at this time.
What else you can do then is thoroughly clean the area beneath where the hummingbird feeder hangs, in order to remove sugar water stains on the floor or garden objects.
Hummingbird feeders can get messy which is why bees turn up out of nowhere, whereas the ground directly below feeders can be constantly soaked in sugar water due to tiny but often unavoidable drips.
Cleaning the area under and around where you hang your hummingbird feeder is an important routine to get into... if you are ever going to stand a chance of getting rid of bees on your feeder.
Of topic slightly but a similar method can be applied to when keeping bees out of your bird bath, or anywhere where bees cause a nuisance of themselves in your yard.
Start again afresh
Now that you've given your hummingbird feeder a thorough clean before packing it away in the shed or garden - all while making sure the area it was once placed is sugar water-free - let's begin the process of starting again.
You should know the pitfalls of an unkempt hummingbird feeder - and its surrounding area by now - can cause bees to arrive, so let's make sure that doesn't happen again.
What you must do is carefully replenish your hummingbird feeder without spilling nectar on the exterior, or else it would be a very bad start.
You must hang the hummingbird feeder back on the bird feeder pole or wherever it goes, once again without spillages.
If it spills a little on the feeder or the ground below, simply wash it away with soapy water to remove the smell of sugar in the air.
In anticipation of the bee issue developing in due course, keep an eye on proceedings every few days to be sure bees aren't beginning to swarm all over again.
Even the best bee proof hummingbird feeders can't deter all bees, but they should at least stop them from accessing the nectar.
With that piece of information, consider a hummingbird feeder with a bee guard attached to it, in order to prevent bees contaminating the nectar - while a device called nectar guard tips - can also stop bees poking their mouths in the nectar water.
Wind, nuisance animals raiding the hummingbird feeder and the feeder that is allowed to swing about can cause spillages, thus its vital none of this can allow to happen now you know what it takes to avoid bees.
Summarize
Anyone who owns a hummingbird feeder will know come the nice weather, bees, wasps and even ants will begin raiding the feeder.
Not so much of an issue though when your hummingbird feeder features not only bee guards affixed to all nectar port wells; there's no harm in doubling up defenses with a featured ant moat which could be already installed on your feeder.
Its important to prevent any contact with the nectar of course because insects like this can bring pathogens to the nectar.
I will then immediately take down my hummingbird feeder where it happens to be hanging, to delay use for several days to give time for bees to find a neighbor to annoy, which would hopefully be far away from your yard.
Reason why you must do this is because where there's sugary-water - often exposed outside of the feeder - and therefore can be tracked down by bees, time is needed to rid your yard of this must-have bee food.
It can be days or over a week you'd need to pack away the hummingbird feeder for, though it will depend on whether bees are seen to be completely gone.
When taking down your hummingbird feeder please empty the nectar first, while giving the feeder a complete wash with soapy water.
While you are at it, then proceed to clean the area directly beneath where the feeder hangs especially, to remove all traces of fresh or dried up sugar stains.
Once several days have passed, begin the process of putting your hummingbird feeders back up in their rightful place.
Now remain vigilant of the arrival of bees or other insects, while keeping an eye on potential spillages which must be cleaned up ASAP.
Bees arrive at feeders filled with nectar because this same nectar can be accessible externally, thus bees will clog up the port wells to access it which can turn away all hummingbirds, as the bees cause a nuisance of themselves.
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