How to Keep Bees Away From Hummingbird Feeders
If bees are swarming your hummingbird feeders, don’t panic. As a beekeeper, I certainly don’t mind seeing honey bees in my yard—but I would rather they visit the flowers and leave the hummingbird feeders to the birds. In many cases, the problem is temporary, and a few simple changes can convince those determined little foragers to look elsewhere for lunch.
It is possible for the birds and bees to share the honey bee garden . But when natural food is scarce, competition around a sugar-filled feeder can get a little intense.
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Simple Ways to Keep Bees from Taking Over Feeders
Thankfully, there are several simple ways to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders without harming either the bees or the hummingbirds.
You may need to try more than one of the following methods. Start with the simple fixes, such as checking for leaks and spilled nectar, before moving or temporarily removing the feeder.
Stop Leaks and Clean Up Spilled Nectar
Check your hummingbird feeder regularly for leaks. Even small drips of sugary syrup can attract honey bees, wasps and other insects.
If the drip persists, plumber’s tape may help create a better seal between the bottle reservoir and base. Use it only on the screw threads where it will not come in contact with the nectar.
Also, avoid getting sugar water on the outside of the feeder when refilling it. If spills happen—and they will—rinse the feeder before hanging it back up.
Hang Feeders in the Shade
Hummingbirds will seek out the food source as they forage naturally in the yard. Honey bees tend to prefer food sources in sunny locations. If you have several good spots to choose from, hang your hummingbird feeder in a shaded area.
Remove Nearby Wasp Nests
Wasps from nearby nests will come to your feeder. Remove them before they grow large. Some homeowners use a “fake wasp nest” to prevent the insects from building. Maybe you will have luck with that but it sure did not fool my wasps – LOL.
Use caution around established nests, and consider professional removal if the nest is large or in a difficult location
Provide More Natural Food Sources
This may not solve today’s feeder problem, but it can make a difference in future seasons.
Add some new flowers to the pollinator garden – sunflowers that attract bees, bee balm or zinnia are good choices.
Choose landscape plants that bloom during the hot dry Summer. Drought tolerant flowers that bees love will help lure them to this natural food source.
Stagger the bloom throughout the warm months. And, don’t forget the Fall Blooming Flowers that begin in late Summer.
Take Feeder Away Temporarily
Nothing works in every situation. If you try these tips and still have a massive problem, it may be necessary to remove your hummer feeders for several days.
If natural nectar conditions have improved, the bees may have already moved on to better food sources.
Why Bees Visit Hummingbird Feeders
Bees do an excellent job of finding food sources. They are especially fond of high sugar concentrations – much like the nectar in your hummingbird feeder.
Sweet liquid nectar is used by honey bees to make honey – important food that is stored in the hive for Winter survival. They will make “honey” from any sweet liquid.
And, there hangs your feeders – filled with an abundant source of beautiful sweet liquid. The bees (and wasps) see an opportunity – can you really blame them?
Why the Problem Gets Worse at Certain Times
The occasional bee or wasp stopping by a sip – is not usually a big problem. But, at certain times of the year, bee visitors can be a very big issue.
Late Summer thru Fall is the most common time of year that I hear complaints about bees. Also, anytime the area is experiencing a decrease in natural nectar – called a nectar dearth.
During these times, bee colonies are large – at peak population. A lack of nectar in the field and the need to prepare for Winter create an enticing opportunity.
If you are lucky, the problem will only be temporary (a few weeks). Returning rain and the resulting nectar-rich flowers will cause the bees to return to the field – they prefer natural food sources.
Choosing a Feeder That Discourages Bees
The best way to keep bees from taking over your hummingbird feeder is to stop it before it starts. It is much easier to prevent this problem than to convince bees to leave once they discover an easy food source.
Feeders are available in a wide variety of beautiful colors and forms. The problem is – they make it very easy for bees and wasps (both sugar lovers) to access the food.
Therefore, if you routinely have bees circling your hummingbird feeders – it might be time to reconsider your feeder choice.
- choose a hummingbird feeder with bee guards
- look for all red feeders – avoid the color yellow (very attractive to bees)
Choose a Feeder Bees Can’t Easily Access
With proper bee guards, the birds will be able to reach deep down to access the syrup with their long tongues. Insects that can’t reach the syrup have little reason to keep returning.
You may be able to purchase bee guards for your existing saucer feeders. This is the most effective deterrent for keeping bees away from feeders and outdoor areas. No access to sweet liquid.
In addition, manufacturers have redesigned some hummingbird feeders to have more narrow feeding tubes – this reduces the opportunity for bees to feed.
Avoid Yellow Inserts
Red attracts hummingbirds – yellow attracts insects. Common hummingbird feeders are red and yellow because that is a bright cherry combination. It looks attractive to the homeowner.
When purchasing a new feeder, consider one with red or white feeding ports rather than bright yellow inserts. If you already have a feeder with yellow ports, paint them red using non-toxic paint.
Tips for Beekeepers
If your neighbor enjoys feeding hummers and you have hives sitting in your yard – naturally you may get blamed because YOUR bees are causing the problem. Perhaps they are and they may bother your own feeders too.
I have rarely had a problem with this over the years – even when I had 25 hives on site. There are things beekeepers can do to ease the situation.
- create feeding stations in times of scarcity
- educate your neighbors on the hopefully temporary situation
Should Beekeepers Set Up a Separate Feeding Station?
If your honey bees are crowding a hummingbird feeder during a nectar dearth, you may wonder if providing them with their own sugar water will help.
For beekeepers, supplemental feeding can be useful in some situations—but I don’t recommend setting out an open pan of sugar water just to lure bees away from a hummingbird feeder.
Open feeding can attract a large number of honey bees, wasps and other sugar-loving insects. It may also encourage robbing behavior between colonies.
Instead of solving one problem, you might end up creating a much busier feeding station than you expected.
And one important reminder: never feed honey from an unknown source to your bees. Honey can contain spores that spread serious honey bee diseases, including American foulbrood.
In most cases, the better approach is to deal with the hummingbird feeder itself—stop leaks, prevent bees from reaching the nectar, or temporarily remove the feeder while natural forage is scarce.
What Not to Put on Your Feeder
Don’t resort to harsh chemicals or pesticides to get rid of bees on your hummingbird feeders. Using any type of repellent product on the feeder – can harm you and the birds too!
Honestly, they are not very effective either. Ants can also be a problem (ants can invade beehives too) as they try to secure the sweet sugar syrup.
You can purchase “ant-guards – (also called ant moats)” or use some petroleum jelly on the feeder hanger to deter ants. This wont work for honey bees of course – they fly!
Be Careful With Insect Traps
Be careful with traps used to lure in wasps and hornets. You may end up harming the local bee populations-important native pollinators.
Another caution, if you like to make – homemade yellow jacket traps, don’t make the bait too sweet. You may attract bees but it will not lure them away from your sweeter hummer feeders.
FAQs
Hummingbirds are not afraid of bees. But, they find it frustrating to deal with hundreds of bees at the feeder and may choose not to feed.
While there are some birds that consume bees as part of their diet – hummingbirds do not eat bees.
Beekeepers can not keep bees away from your hummingbird feeder. But they may minimize the problem by providing sugar water for bees in times of serious nectar dearth.
A sudden increase in bees at a hummingbird feeder often happens when natural nectar sources are scarce. During hot, dry weather or a seasonal nectar dearth, honey bees become more interested in alternative sources of sugar. Once a forager discovers your feeder, she can recruit other bees from the colony to the food source. This is why a few visitors can seemingly turn into a crowd overnight.
A Final Word
In the garden, hummingbirds, honey bees and wasps often visit the same blooming plants without much trouble. A large bush may offer hundreds of individual flowers—but a hummingbird feeder has only a few feeding ports. Sometimes, that creates a bit of a traffic jam.
Remember that heavy bee activity at hummingbird feeders is often temporary. When natural nectar becomes plentiful again, honey bees would much rather visit the flowers.
Thank you for the information. However, I have African killer bees attacking me & trying to
feed from the hummingbird feeder.
Jan, in the field foraging – I don’t think Africanized bees would be much different than others. Any honeybee will visit the feeder if they are out of resources in the field. Hopefully, it is only a temporary problem.
I’m so glad to find this article, as I just discovered that bees are drinking the nectar from a hummingbird feeder, that have “bee guards”. I have blooming flowers around the corner of my house, so i’m going to add a small amount of nectar to a different feeder, to see if the bees can “find” the blooming flowers. This is pretty new to me, so I really appreciate everyone’s input.
That is a good plan to try Evy. Two things to keep in mind. Bees look for the “best” food source. If your sugar water is sweeter than that in the flowers – they may not choose the flowers over the feeder. Second, blooms don’t always mean nectar is present. Your flowers may be in a dearth period.
The bees swamped three hummingbird feeders so I placed an open dish of 1/1 sugar water a distance away for the bees. It has been extremely dry here in St. Louis so I assumed a dearth. They told all their friends, so I had multiple hundreds visiting all day.
Problem is, as soon as they run out of syrup and I step outside, they come and fly around me, circle my head, land on my glasses, walk up my sleeves etc. They empty three dishes in about 20 minutes. I was attempting some yard work yesterday and they eventually drove me back inside. OK, I can live like this for a bit, but my concern is that they will do the same to my neighbors who may flap and swat and end up getting injured. So I stopped feeding the bees this morning. And I feel really guilty. Any advice?
Don’t feel guilty – it is nature. But, they will likely return to your feeders. Nothing will change their need for food until natural nectar becomes available. Putting out a bit of food for them is a good idea – if you enjoy it and if you have a space – far away from your home and outdoor active space.
I was toldnot to give bees, sugar water, just plain water to drink. If they get sweet water, they don’t have to pollinate. Which is true, sugar water or plain water. Plain water just to revive tired bees. Thank You
That is not true. Bees are not lazy they search out the best nectar source. Now if you had a large feeder of rich sugar water out all season long and never let it go empty – pollination in your nearby orchard might be reduced. It is possible the bees gathering nectar “might” visit your source instead of the trees. However, I have never had my bees choose sugar water over natural nectar. Also, since they need pollen too – to raise young, they would still do some pollination. Is sugar the best for them? No. But in a situation of need – a little is just fine.
I am having a terrible time. Bees have swarmed my feeders. I have tried all different types of feeders. I tried bee repellent, moving the feeders, blasting them with water. I have throughly washed the feeders, in sun in shade. Nothing has worked. I am trying the yellow bowl with 1-1 recipe right now.
I so sorry to hear this Jill. The bees are hungry – of course, I know this doesnt help the problem you are having. Thousands of hungry bees are going to hard to deter from a sugar water source. Be sure to put something in the bowl so the bees wont drown. I hope you live in an area that has a Fall flow of nectar – if so hopefully the bee girls will turn their attention to that soon.
i have the humming birds feeders with bee guard but it doesn’t stop them
Hmmm, can you move the feeders? Are these honeybees? Often their tongues are not long enough to access through good nectar guards.
I am in Minnesota, and have had hummingbird feeders for years. In the last week, hundreds of honeybees have taken over the feeders! This has never happened before. My yard is very bee friendly, and is jam packed full of flowers. We have had a very wet summer here, so the bees have lots of sources of natural nectar. Today, I tried your suggestion of 2:1. The bees loved it, and went a little crazy. I had to put up several to get all the bees away from the feeders, and had to refill them after a few hours. A few questions. Can I pick stones up off the ground and put them in the bee feeders so the bees don’t drown, or do I need to wash the stones first? Silly question, but I don’t want to make the bees sick! Should I try to use a 1:1 solution tomorrow, since they have found their own feeders? If this feeding frenzy continues for days or weeks, and I have to keep feeding the bees to keep them off the hummingbird feeders, will it hurt the bees? Thanks so much for your article and help! My neighborhood hummingbirds thank you also!
That fine you dont have to be to concerned. My bees sometimes drink out of mud puddles near the barn.
Great article and helps a lot. I have hummingbird feeders and a natural hive that adopted a 55 gal barrel that I had drilled holes in for composting. I have schools close by so I don’t brag about my hive. Your statement that says bees are hard workers and won’t use sugar water when natural nectars are available makes me feel better. I also read that too much sugar is bad for the hive. I only have 25 bees or so at one time at my hummingbird feeders so the hummingbird can still eat. You gave 2 different recipes for bee water 2:1 and 1:1. Is the 2:1 to attract them away from the hummingbird feeder and is ok to leave sugar out for the bees in the middle of summer.
Because 2:1 is sweeter… the bees are probably at your feeder because they are not finding anything better. Giving them an option somewhere near but not ON your feeder might help lure them away. Also, if weather allows another natural source may become available in a few weeks and they will go to that.
Hello Ms. Bee Keeper,
Thank you for this article! Just this week I noticed honey bees on my hummie feeders. Many of our hummies have left, but I still have one who depends on my feeders. Yesterday the bees began to swarm around the feeders, and the hummie could not find a place to feed that did not have bees.
I put a pan of very sugary water with sticks in it (for the bees to climb on) on a yellow overturned pot about five yards from the feeders. The bees discovered it today; the pan was covered with literally hundreds of bees all day! Eventually most of the honey bees left the hummie feeders and joined their buddies on the sticks in the pan. My hummie had his feeder again.
So here is the problem. This evening I checked the pan and all the sugar-water is gone. Now I am wondering if the bees will start depending on my sugar-water pan for nectar. I want to keep them happy during our next few days of sunshine, but I want to do the right thing for them also. Only a few flowers are still blooming in my garden — coral vine and a few roses — so the poor little bees seem desperate. I live in a very rural, forested area. Should I continue to feed the bees? Is this ethical and good for them? I want to make sure I am doing the right thing or if it would be better not to refill the pan. I will relocate my hummingbird feeders for now. Am I doing the right thing for the bees?
Thanks again for this article — timely and interesting! I use honey from local bee keepers every day and support pollinators with many different flowers in my garden. However, after this experience I think I need to plant more flowers that bloom through the fall. I had no idea our bees are so desperate this time of year!
Best,
A Concerned Bee Lover
Oh, what a wonderful experience. Bees arent lazy, when natural nectar is available they will choose that first. As long as you can place the feeding station far enough away to not be problem, it does no harm. Pure cane sugar with water in a 1:1 ratio works well. Thank you for helping the bees 🙂
I read that marbles can burn bees and hummingbirds. The source recommended using pinecones as a non reflective idea. My desire to keep wasps and bees away from my hummingbird feeders is a purely selfish reason, I must carry an Epinephrine pin with me at all times. I try not tonaggravate the bees whenever I can. We depend on our pollinators!
I supposed that might be a problem in a very hot region in direct sun..but I’ve never heard of anyone having the problem. Yes, honeybees are pretty harmless as long as you stay away from the hive and dont threaten them.
Would hurricane Florence have affected the honey bees in my neighborhood? Lots of beekeepers in my area. Honeybees are swarming my humming bird feeders. Never happened at this level before.
Absolutely, if the wind blew all the nectar producing blooms off the trees, weeds or bushes.
If honey bees are gathering syrup at abundant hummingbird feeders in the neighborhood, then bringing it home to the hive in our yard, how will this affect the honey. We have a friend you said that if they put sugar syrup into the supers that we cannot sell it as “Pure Honey” and that if someone with a cane sugar allergy eats the “tainted” honey they could have a serious allergic reaction. Is this true? If so, what can we do with the nearly 200 pounds of honey we’ve gathered, and partially bottled. Must we have a disclaimer? “May contain traces of can sugar.” What? I’m a little freaked.
Yes, if a beekeeper is feeding their bees while honey collection supers are on (and you never should), the “honey” that the bees make will not be real honey. It will lack the enzymes found in plant nectar and have a different PH. Now as to the question of hummingbird feeders, I truly doubt it would make any difference. I mean if you have 100 hummingbird feeders and no wild nectar – you might have an issue. However, as long as you didnt feed your bees during the harvest, I would not worry. Even if a tiny amount was in there – its no different than bees that will inspect soft drink cans. I see no need for a disclaimer because you dont know there is a problem. Anytime, you sell or give away a food product – you have liability. If they cut their lip on the jar, or have a reaction to pollen in the honey but that very rarely happens with honey.