Hummingbird feeders can attract unwanted attention from bears if you live in an area with a bear population. Bears have an excellent sense of smell and will investigate anything that smells appealing, including sugary hummingbird nectar. However, there are steps you can take to deter bears and prevent them from becoming a nuisance around your hummingbird feeders.
Quick Answers
– Bears can be attracted to the smell of hummingbird nectar and will investigate feeders.
– Using feeders made with bee guards or bear-resistant ports can prevent bears from getting at the nectar.
– Only making small batches of nectar and cleaning feeders regularly helps reduce smells.
– Placing feeders out of reach of bears discourages them. Hang feeders at least 10 feet high and 4 feet away from anything a bear can climb.
– Keeping feeders close to human activity and bringing them in overnight helps deter bears.
– Using electric fencing, motion-activated sprinklers, or bear-resistant poles around feeders can scare bears away.
– Eliminating other bear attractants like garbage, pet food, and bird seed from your yard makes the area less interesting for bears overall.
How bears find hummingbird feeders
Bears have an extraordinary sense of smell that is up to 100 times better than a human’s. They can detect odors over a mile away if the breeze carries the scent in their direction. Sugary hummingbird nectar has a very sweet, fruity smell that can attract bears from quite a distance.
In addition, bears are very curious and intelligent. Once they find a potential food source, they will come back repeatedly to exploit it. This means that if a bear succeeds in getting to the sugary nectar in a hummingbird feeder even one time, they will likely return again and again.
When bears are most likely to target feeders
Bear activity around feeders is most likely in a few specific situations:
- In spring when bears are coming out of hibernation and are ravenously hungry.
- In late summer/early fall when bears are bulking up for winter and need extra calories.
- When natural food sources like berries are scarce.
- In areas where bears have already learned to associate human sites with food reward from unsecured trash, pet food, etc.
Bear encounters are less likely in the height of summer when wild food is abundant or in human-populated areas where bears feel unsafe because they avoid people. But hungry, habituated bears can show up anywhere, any time in search of an easy meal.
Preventing bears from accessing feeders
The best way to stop bears from causing an issue around your hummingbird feeders is to make the feeders inaccessible:
Use specially designed feeders
There are many hummingbird feeder models designed specifically to prevent access by bears. Here are some features to look for:
- Bear-resistant ports – These have a curved, narrow opening that hummingbirds can reach into but bears cannot.
- Bee guards – Plastic barriers around feeder ports keep out bees as well as bears.
- Leak-proof seals – Tight-fitting plungers prevent nectar from leaking and reduce smells.
- Internal reservoirs – Nectar is stored in a sealed internal chamber so it cannot spill if knocked over.
Hang feeders out of reach
To prevent bears from swatting at or jumping up to swipe feeders, install feeders at least:
- 10 feet above the ground
- 4 feet away from anything a bear can climb, like trees, roof overhangs, and fences
Use a pulley system so you can easily lower the feeder for cleaning and refilling. Or place feeders on a tall, bear-resistant pole designed not to allow bears to climb.
Use barriers
Electric fencing, thorny barrier plants like pyracantha or barberry, or even chicken wire can prevent bears from accessing feeders. Just be sure to place feeders at least 4 feet away from any barrier a bear may attempt to reach through.
Discouraging bears from returning
If a bear does happen upon a hummingbird feeder, there are ways to discourage it from coming back repeatedly:
- Bring feeders in overnight when bears are most active. Hang them back up in the morning.
- Install motion-activated lights, sounds, or water sprayers. These scare bears away when they approach.
- Only make small batches of nectar at a time and clean feeders thoroughly every few days. This reduces residual odors.
- Place feeders in busy areas of your yard near human and pet activity. Bears feel unsafe approaching active areas.
It is also vital to eliminate other bear attractants from your yard like garbage, compost piles, pet food, and bird seed. This removes incentives for bears to enter your property in the first place.
What to do if a bear damages a feeder
If a bear manages to access and damage a hummingbird feeder, cleanup is vital. Take these steps:
- Bring in damaged feeders so the bear cannot continue feeding.
- Clean up all spilled nectar thoroughly. Bears will be attracted back to the area if they can smell remaining sugar.
- Rehang or replace damaged feeders at least 10 feet up and 4 feet out from anything bears can climb.
- Consider adding deterrents like lights or water sprayers triggered by motion sensors.
- Be extremely diligent about tying up garbage, pet food, bird seed, etc. to avoid re-attracting the bear.
A persistent bear used to getting food rewards from feeders may require active hazing like loud noises, yelling, and scaffolding poles to drive it off. Usually removing the attractant and making a big scene is enough to deter bears from returning.
Conclusion
Bears can definitely take an interest in hummingbird feeders, especially in spring and fall when wild food is scarce. But there are effective ways to prevent them from becoming a nuisance. Specially designed bear-resistant feeders, distancing feeders from climbable surfaces, deterrents like water sprayers, and removing other bear attractants can all help make your yard unwelcoming. A bit of extra planning allows both hummingbirds and bears to coexist safely in bear country.
