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If you have troubles with bees and wasps out of your hummingbird feeder, the solution is to find a feeder which has wasp and bee proof feeding stations. We offer several of them at Barn in the Sticks.
Bees and wasps attracted to your hummingbird feeder is not only an issue for attracting hummingbirds, but can also be a painful situation for you.
Probably the most common problem with feeding the hummingbirds is that they attract bees and wasps. There are two basic designs that cure this problem.
The first is a device on the bottom of the feeding port, usually made from plastic, which has a tiny “X”. Bees and wasps can’t push through the “X”, while a hummingbird beak will easily pierce the “X”, so they can get to the nectar. These feeders work well, as long as you remove the plastic bee guards or protectors, let your hummingbirds learn where the food is, then put on the guards, and they will continue to use it. (picture below is of a Droll Yankees nectar guard)
The second solution and my favorite hummer feeder is a hummingbird feeder made by Best-1 Hummingbird Feeders, which has a controlled volume of nectar in the feeding port. The sweet nectar is below the feeding port just far enough so that bees and wasps can’t reach the nectar, yet the hummers’ beaks are long enough to reach it. If you have a lot of rain, this may raise the level of the nectar, so you may have to tip the feeder after a hard rain, or you will have bees and wasps until the nectar level goes back down.(the picture below is of a Best-1 base, which regulates the level of the nectar)
We offer both styles at Barn in the sticks. The one with a bee guard is manufactured in the