Quick answers
There are a few potential reasons why honey bees might be swarming a hummingbird feeder:
- They are attracted to the sugar water in the feeder
- There is not enough natural nectar available from flowers
- The feeder is red or has flower patterns, which attracts bees
- The feeder is near a beehive or nest
To deter bees, try moving the feeder away from the hive, using a different colored feeder, or adding bee guards. Make sure plenty of flowering plants are available for bees as well.
Why are bees attracted to hummingbird feeders?
Hummingbird feeders contain sugar water, which is designed to replicate the nectar that hummingbirds feed on from flowers. However, bees are also strongly attracted to sugar and will swarm on any free source of sugary nutrition they can find. This makes hummingbird feeders, with their sugary liquid, an ideal target for hungry honey bees.
In particular, honey bees may target hummingbird feeders in times of nectar dearth. This refers to seasons or conditions when there is not enough naturally-occurring nectar available from flowers for the local bee population. For example, during hot, dry summer weather many flowers may wilt or die off. Or in urban areas, there may simply not be enough gardens or flowering plants available to support the bee residents.
Bees can detect the sugar water in hummingbird feeders from surprising distances. They home in on the scent and are able to follow it directly back to the source of food. This is why hummingbird feeders often seemingly attract large numbers of bees very quickly once the first scout bees have found the feeder.
What types of feeders are bees attracted to?
Certain types of hummingbird feeders are more prone to attracting bees than others:
- Bright red feeders – Bees are naturally attracted to the color red, so red feeders are extra tempting.
- Feeders with flower/petal designs – Bees are drawn to feeders that resemble or mimic the appearance of flowers.
- Exposed feeders – Feeders without bee guards or other protections give bees easy access.
- Feeders close to bee habitats – Any feeder near a beehive or bee colony is likely to draw more bee attention.
Plain, solid color feeders located away from beehives will attract the fewest bees overall.
When are bees most likely to swarm feeders?
Bees are most likely to become a problem at hummingbird feeders during certain times of year:
- Summer – The warmest months when natural nectar is limited.
- Dry seasons – Drought causes flowers to wilt and nectar to dry up.
- Areas with fewer flowers – Sparse urban gardens don’t provide enough nectar.
Having ample planted flowers available to meet the needs of local bees can help draw them away from feeders during the warmer months.
Daily bee activity at feeders
Bees are most active and likely to swarm feeders during their normal foraging hours:
- Early morning – 9 am to noon
- Mid afternoon – 2 pm to 6 pm
Fewer bees generally visit in the hottest part of mid-day or at night. But feeders too close to hives may draw bees all day long.
Problems caused by bees at hummingbird feeders
An overabundance of bees at hummingbird feeders can cause several issues:
Scaring away hummingbirds
The large number of invading bees can deter hummingbirds from approaching the feeders. The tiny birds are easily frightened by the buzzing crowd of much larger bees. Even if some flowering plants are available, hummingbirds still need access to their feeders for their full nutrition.
Drinking all the nectar
Bees can quickly drain small hummingbird feeders dry of nectar. Their large numbers give them the advantage over hummingbirds. This leaves no food left for hummingbirds to feed.
Damaging feeders
All the bee activity and crowding around feeders can cause damage over time. Bees might chew holes in feeders, cause leaks, or otherwise affect the functionality of feeder ports and feeding tubes.
Creating a stinging hazard
Too many bees buzzing around a feeder increase the risk of accidental stings to hummingbirds or people. Annoyed bees defending their food source may sting more readily.
Do bees keep hummingbirds away from feeders?
The presence of too many bees at a hummingbird feeder can absolutely deter hummingbirds from feeding. A few key reasons bees make feeders less attractive include:
- Bees swarming the feeder ports make access difficult for hummingbirds.
- Loud buzzing bee activity frightens timid hummingbirds.
- Bees quickly consume the limited nectar before birds can feed.
- Territorial bees defending the feeder may chase or sting hummingbirds.
However, a small number of bees should not prevent hummingbirds from using feeders. It is specifically large numbers of bees that make feeders inaccessible to hummingbirds. Taking some steps to manage bees and limit their numbers can allow hummingbirds and bees to peacefully co-exist at feeders.
Will hummingbirds starve if they can’t access feeders?
Fortunately hummingbirds will not starve without access to feeders. They have survived for thousands of years before the invention of hummingbird feeders by finding natural food sources.
However, abundant feeders do provide an important supplemental food source. Limiting access forces hummingbirds to expend more energy searching for scarce flowers and less energy on nesting, migrating, and other activities. So it is still important to try minimizing bees for the health and success of local hummingbirds.
Tips to discourage bees from hummingbird feeders
There are a few tactics that can help redirect bees away from frequenting hummingbird feeders:
Move feeders farther from bee habitats
Locate feeders at least 50-60 feet from known beehives or bee nesting areas. The greater the distance, the less appealing the feeder will be to scout bees.
Use feeders with bee guards
Special “bee guard” attachments can block bees from accessing nectar while still allowing hummingbird beaks. These plastic guards fit onto feeder ports or over feeding tubes.
Choose less-bee attractive feeder designs
Plain colored feeders, especially green, black, or white styles, attract fewer bees than bright red ones or feeders with flower motifs.
Regularly clean feeders
Dirty feeders contain residues that can lure bees. Rinse and scrub feeders at least once a week.
Avoid leaky feeders
Bees hone in on any nectar drips or spills around the feeder. Fix any leaks and keep the area clean.
Add more nearby flowers
Planting more bee-friendly flowers means bees have less need to target hummingbird feeders. Native plants work best to provide nectar seasons aligning with local bee activity.
Only make nectar when fresh
Newly made sugar water has less scent to attract bees. Letting it sit makes it more aromatic and appealing to bees.
Take down feeders at night
Bees are less active at night. Removing feeders prevents build up over night.
Try using a water moat
A water-filled moat helps block bees from being able to directly access feeder ports.
Supplement feeder nectar
Adding a small amount of table sugar helps reduce the sweet scent that attracts bees.
Move feeders to different spots
Periodically move feeders to new locations so bees have trouble homing in again.
Use feeders with bee-unfriendly built-in perches
Some feeders have perches made of textured glass or metal that makes bees less likely to land and cluster there.
Should I get rid of my hummingbird feeder if bees won’t leave?
Getting rid of a hummingbird feeder altogether is usually not the best course of action if dealing with bothersome bees. Hummingbirds in many areas rely on these feeders as an important food source, especially during migration. Completely removing feeders can deprive hummingbirds of needed energy.
Instead, try incorporating a combination of deterrent methods to minimize bee presence while still keeping feeders available for hummingbirds. Be patient it may take some time for these techniques to condition bees to look elsewhere for nectar.
Supplement feeders with plenty of planted flowering options to divert and spread out bee activity rather than eliminating feeders. But if absolutely nothing seems to work, a temporary 1-2 week moratorium on feeders may help reset bees to look elsewhere.
When to remove a problem feeder
There are a few instances where removing a feeder, at least for a period of time, could become necessary:
- Bees are damaging the feeder beyond functionality
- Bees exhibit extremely aggressive behavior like prolonged chasing or stinging
- Even deterrents cannot minimize bees within several weeks
- Hummingbirds have been completely driven away and refuse to use the feeder area
Again, this should be seen as just a temporary break while continuing other methods to move bees away long-term.
Do hummingbird feeders harm bees?
There is no evidence that hummingbird feeders themselves cause any direct harm to bee populations. Bees are simply looking for an easy supplemental sugar source at the feeders much like hummingbirds.
However, heavily drawing bees to feeders can have some indirect detrimental effects:
- Energy spent travelling to feeders rather than pollinating
- Greater competition between bees leads to stress
- Exposure to more diseases and parasites when crowded
- Possible pesticide exposure if feeders have residue
These risks are minimized as long as flowers are abundantly available as a primary nectar source for bees. Feeders should supplement bees rather than become a sole food source. Maintaining healthy bee habitats reduces reliance on feeders.
How can I help both hummingbirds and bees?
The key is balancing the needs of both hummingbirds and bees through compromise:
- Keep feeders further from hives and nests
- Plant lots of flowering native plants
- Use selective bee deterrents like guards
- Clean feeders regularly to reduce buildup
- Accept some bee presence is normal
- Remove problem feeders only temporarily
With smart management, hummingbird feeders and bee populations can co-exist for the benefit of both species. This avoids losing an important food and water resource for hummingbirds.
What are other common hummingbird feeder pests?
In addition to bees, other unwelcome creatures can sometimes pester hummingbird feeders:
Ants
Tiny ants will crawl up poles and wires to reach feeders. They can quickly overrun feeders and prevent hummingbird access.
Wasps
Like bees, wasps are attracted to the sugar syrup and can aggressively take over feeders.
Orioles
These somewhat larger orange and black birds will scare away hummingbirds as they feed on the nectar.
Bats
Though mostly active at night, bats detect sugar water and will come to claim feeders.
Raccoons
Clever raccoons have been known to drain feeders at night when active.
Squirrels
Squirrels will perform acrobatic feats to reach hanging feeders and steal a free drink.
Moths
These dust-winged insects swarm night-lit feeders to sip sugar water.
Comparisons of bee and hummingbird feeders
While bees certainly can pester hummingbird feeders, there are also specially designed bee feeders. Understanding the different needs of bees vs. hummingbirds helps explain why separate feeders work best for each.
Bee feeder facts
- Contain thicker sugar concentrations (1:1 sugar to water)
- Have wide, open reservoirs or ports
- Include landing pads or perches
- Are made of textured materials for gripping
- Can feed many bees at once
- Placement near hives or nests is ideal
Hummingbird feeder facts
- Use thinner nectar concentration (1:4 or 1:5 sugar to water)
- Have narrow ports suited to hummingbird beaks and tongues
- Lack perches since hummingbirds hover to feed
- Are made of smooth glass or plastic
- Allow one hummingbird to feed at a time
- Placement away from large bee populations needed
Understanding these design differences helps illustrate why sharing a single feeder design does not work well. But placing separate bee and hummingbird feeders near each other can allow both species to benefit.
conclusion and key takeaways
To wrap up, bees swarming hummingbird feeders are an annoyance but can be mitigated with some adjustments:
- Move feeders farther from hives and nests
- Use feeder designs made for hummingbirds not bees
- Add plentiful flowering plants for bees
- Clean and replace sugar water regularly
- Try deterrents like guards, moats and perch textures
- Avoid bright red or flower covered feeders
- Temporarily remove problem feeders as a last resort
- Separate bee feeders can help divert bees
The goal is balancing the needs of both bees and hummingbirds. With smart management, these species can both obtain the supplemental nutrition they need for healthy populations.
