Yellow jackets can be a nuisance around hummingbird feeders. Their attraction to the sugary nectar in hummingbird feeders often leads to confrontations with territorial hummingbirds. While yellow jackets serve an ecological purpose, their presence at feeders can deter hummingbirds from feeding. There are several steps hummingbird enthusiasts can take to deter yellow jackets from their feeders.
Why Yellow Jackets are Attracted to Hummingbird Feeders
Yellow jackets are attracted to the sugary nectar in hummingbird feeders for a few key reasons:
- They have a natural affinity for sugary substances like flower nectar and tree sap.
- The bright colors of hummingbird feeders attract their attention.
- The smell of the artificial nectar draws them in.
- Hummingbird feeders provide an easy meal without the work of gathering pollen and nectar from flowers.
Late summer and early fall is prime yellow jacket season, which coincides with hummingbird migration and peak hummingbird feeding times. With their colony numbers at a yearly high but food sources dwindling, yellow jackets hone in on hummingbird feeders as an excellent source of nutrition.
Yellow Jacket Biology and Behavior
To understand why yellow jackets stubbornly congregate around hummingbird feeders, it helps to understand a bit about their biology and behavior.
Yellow jackets are social wasps that live in colonies containing workers, drones, and queens. The queen starts a new nest each spring. Workers forage for food, defend the nest, and care for larvae. Late summer and fall is when yellow jacket colonies reach peak size, with some containing several thousand workers.
Yellow jackets have a fondness for sugars and protein. Workers collect sugary tree sap, flower nectar, ripe fruits, and other sweet substances. They also hunt insects and scavenge meat to bring protein back to feed larvae in the nest.
As temperatures cool in fall, yellow jacket colonies begin producing new reproductive drones and queens. But flowers start fading and food becomes scarcer. This leads yellow jackets to seek out easily accessed sugary food sources like hummingbird feeders.
Yellow jackets have excellent vision and a keen sense of smell. They can detect nectar sources from impressive distances. Once a scout locates a productive nectar hotspot, it communicates the location back to nestmates via pheromones. Soon, other foragers from the colony converge on the site.
Yellow jackets exhibit tenacious food guarding behavior. They do not hesitate to chase off other insects or birds that approach their prized food sources. However, they abandon food sources once cooler weather sets in.
Confrontations with Hummingbirds
Territorial hummingbirds aggressively defend their nectar resources. They will fearlessly attack all intruders, even dive bombing people that get too close to their feeders. But yellow jackets refuse to be bullied away from a feeding frenzy.
These two feisty species stubbornly fight over position on feeder ports. The jackets use their mandibles to pinch, while hummingbirds jab with their dagger-like beaks. These skirmishes inevitably leave both parties agitated.
Research shows hummingbirds drastically reduce feeding activity when yellow jackets are present at feeders. This is likely an adaptive behavior to avoid contact and minimize risk of injury during skirmishes.
While their aerial skills allow hummingbirds to evade attacks, yellow jackets pursue them in the air. Yellow jackets do sometimes kill hummingbirds, especially fledglings. But more concerning is how their presence prevents hummingbirds from adequately fueling up.
Deterring Yellow Jackets
Here are some tips for deterring yellow jackets from hummingbird feeders:
Use Feeders with Yellow Jacket Deterrents
Many hummingbird feeder models now come equipped with protective yellow jacket deterrents:
- Built-in moats: These create a water barrier that wasps cannot or will not cross to reach nectar ports.
- Caged nectar ports: Wire barriers allow hummingbird tongues to access nectar but block yellow jackets.
- Nectar guards: Pendant-like obstacles hang down to prevent yellow jackets from landing on ports.
There are also deterrent accessories like slippery feeder add-ons that prevent yellow jackets from gaining stable footing on feeder surfaces.
Use Feeders with Red Coloring
Research indicates yellow jackets see red as black. They are more attracted to feeders with yellow, blue, or clear plastic elements. Selecting feeders with predominantly red parts can make them less visible to foraging yellow jackets.
Offer Alternate Bait Sources
Put out dishes containing fruit jam diluted with water or other sugary mixtures away from hummingbird feeders. These can serve as lures that divert some yellow jackets away from feeders.
Manage Feeder Placement and Maintenance
Proper feeder placement and diligent maintenance can help deter yellow jacket issues:
- Situate feeders at least 10 feet from vegetation where yellow jackets may be nesting.
- Position feeders in shady spots to keep nectar cool and reduce fermentation.
- Avoid placing feeders near known yellow jacket nest locations.
- Clean feeders thoroughly every few days to reduce residue that attracts yellow jackets.
- Change nectar frequently to limit bacterial growth and fermentation odors that draw in yellow jackets.
Adjust Nectar Concentration
Some evidence suggests yellow jackets prefer higher sugar concentrations while hummingbirds tolerate lower percentages just fine. Mix nectar at a 20-25% sugar to water ratio to make it less appealing to yellow jackets.
Try Traps
While trapping is not an absolute solution, well-placed yellow jacket traps can capture some foragers and slightly reduce pest numbers around feeders. Effective bait options include fruit jam, sugary drinks, and protein sources like raw meat or pet food.
Apply Repellants
Insect repellent sprays containing mint oil, citronella oil, or other plant-based insect deterring compounds can be applied around feeder hang areas. Reapply these frequently as their effects wear off quickly.
Knock Down Nests
For severe yellow jacket problems, locate nearby ground and aerial nests and destroy them. Extreme care should be taken, as disturbing nests will anger swarms of yellow jackets. It is safest to hire a professional pest control service.
Remove Feeders at Night
As yellow jackets are not nocturnal, bringing feeders indoors at night can provide a reprieve. This also prevents conflict with skunks and raccoons seeking nighttime sugar meals.
Accept Some Presence
If the above steps still leave some stubborn yellow jackets patrolling feeders, tolerate their presence to a degree. A handful of yellow jackets at a four-port feeder likely won’t prevent hummingbirds from adequately feeding if the nectar supply stays consistent.
When to Worry
Yellow jackets at hummingbird feeders are not a major concern if their numbers stay low and hummingbirds continue visiting. But take action if you observe:
- An increasing number of yellow jackets congregating at feeders over several days.
- Visible confrontations and chasing between hummingbirds and yellow jackets.
- A steep drop-off in hummingbird feeder usage when yellow jackets are present.
- Yellow jackets entering and exiting an aerial or ground nest site near feeders.
- More than 10-15 yellow jackets persistently occupying a four-port feeder.
Such situations indicate a yellow jacket nest may have formed nearby. Meaning their numbers around feeders will likely continue rising until the colony dies out in winter.
When to Remove Feeders Entirely
As a last resort, removing feeders for 1-2 weeks can disperse yellow jacket colonies by depriving them of an easy food source. This is recommended if:
- Yellow jacket numbers at feeders exceed 20-30 at a time.
- Multiple yellow jacket nests are spotted near feeder locations.
- Yellow jackets show very aggressive behavior and injure hummingbirds.
- Hummingbirds completely abandon using the feeders.
Temporarily removing feeders gives hummingbirds incentive to seek natural food sources. While not ideal, this can protect their welfare until cooler weather causes yellow jacket numbers to decline.
Importance of Yellow Jackets
While yellow jackets can certainly be pests, it is important to understand their positive ecological roles:
- Pollination: They transfer pollen between flowering plants as they forage for nectar.
- Pest control: They prey on insects considered garden and agricultural pests.
- Scavenging: They break down dead animal matter as they collect meat to feed their larvae.
- Soil enrichment: Nest excavation by underground colonies aerates and enriches soils.
Their social complexity and industrious colony activities also make yellow jackets fascinating creatures to observe when they are not causing issues around hummingbird feeders.
Summary
Yellow jackets can be attracted to the sweet artificial nectar in hummingbird feeders, especially in late summer and fall when their colonies are large.
This creates unwanted competition with hummingbirds for the feeder resources. But there are many techniques hummingbird enthusiasts can implement to deter yellow jackets. Altering feeder design, placement, and maintenance are the most effective solutions. Trapping and nest removal can also help reduce local yellow jacket numbers. Sometimes temporarily removing feeders is warranted to discourage yellow jackets. Yet it helps to remember yellow jackets are important pollinators and pest controllers in the ecosystem despite their nuisance behavior.
