One of the most frequent questions I have seen about hummingbird feeding is how to keep bees away from the feeder. Lots of hummingbird enthusiasts report terrible problems with bees at their hummingbird feeders, chasing off the hummers and often resulting in the drowning of many bees that get inside the feeders.
I know how frustrating this can be as I experienced the same problems last year. I moved my feeders around my yard, from the back to the front, and as distant as possible from my sunflower garden where lots of bees hang out. While the bees would stay off the feeders for a up to a day or two, they would soon find the feeders. The bees would gather in such large numbers that the hummers would not come around them. And some bees would find their way inside and drown, which I also found intolerable as I was doing what I could to support and encourage bees due to the crisis in bees.
Though there are websites and individuals who recommend using olive oil, cooking spray, petroleum jelly or similar substances around feeding ports or on the poles or chains, these substances can be harmful to hummingbirds if any gets on their feathers.
I did some research and read on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website that saucer-type feeders are “fairly bee-and wasp-proof.” So I went shopping and found that this type of feeder keeps the sugar water below the feeding ports so it seemed logical that the bees might not get to it.
I got the one shown in these photos and as shown, I have it hanging right next to my sunflower garden where many bees come to feed on the nectar in the sunflower flowers. I am careful to keep from spilling any of the sugar water on the feeder when I fill it, and if I do I rinse it right off. I haven’t seen any bees, or wasps, on or even hanging around my saucer-type feeder!
As the sugar water is below the feeder ports, the hummers just stick their very long tongues through the port into the bowl to slurp it up. Neither bees nor wasps would be able to access the sugar water as they do not have long tongues or proboscis like butterflies or sphinx moths.
And these saucer-type feeders are simple: a saucer bowl, a lid and a support rod that secures the bowl and lid plus functions as the hanger. In addition to being bee and wasp free, these saucer-type feeders do not leak like some of the bottle or tube feeders do and this helps reduce their being attractive to not only bees and wasps but to ants.
This is such a simple but effective solution. So if your feeders have more bees or wasps than hummingbirds, this may just what you want.
Have you tried a saucer-type hummingbird feeder?
If so, have you had any problems with bees or wasps on your saucer-type feeder?
{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
We have the saucer type feeder. I get Wasp on it. Eventually the hummingbirds win and still use my feeders.
Hi Barbara,
Sorry to hear that your saucer-type feeder gets wasps. Glad your hummers are still able to use it.
I have always used the saucer type feeders, and yes, I still have bees and wasp on my feeders. I always rinse them before and sometimes after I hand them, to keep away ants.
Hello Donna,
Sorry to hear that your saucer-type feeders still have bees and wasps
I have 6 feeders of various types….including the saucer style. They ALL attract bees….regardless of location.
Candice,
So sorry to hear that all your hummingbird feeders attract bees regardless of type or location.
Where did you purchase this type of feeder and what is the aprox cost? I would like to get a few…The wasps are overwhelming this year
Hi Marge,
Wild Bird Centers have stores in many parts of the U.S. and they carry the ‘HummZinger’, which is often recommended, and a mini version. Wild Birds Unlimited also have stores around the U.S. and they carry a number of saucer-type feeders.
I have had a terrible time this year with bees so I will definitely try to find this type of feeder!
Thank you so much for this helpful information. We have lots of yellow jackets and ants who frequent our hummer feeder. I will be looking for the saucer type of feeder!
SeEtta- that is great info & so timely. Just yesterday my husband proudly proclaimed he had killed ‘about 7 wasps’ because they were chasing the hummers from the feeder. Since I too try to attract & protect as many pollinators as possible, I’ll be going shopping today. You always have wonderful, well-researched info to share with us!
Thank you for this great info…..I am going out to get me some saucer feeders to see how they work before the hummers leave on their southern trek. I have put salt and yeast in the trough at the top of my feeder to ward off the ants and it seems to work, but not to rid my feeders of bees and wasps.
Hello Lorraine,
You might look for one of the saucer type feeders that have a built-in moat that you can put water in to keep ants away from the sugar water.
Great info and pictures, thanks. Will be looking for this feeder for next spring. : )
Hi Lenora,
Glad you found my article helpful.
Thank you. . great idea; however, just not big enough – when you fill 3 large feeders every day I would be filling this every couple hours.
Hi Shirley,
Actually Droll Yankee, a well known brand of wild bird feeders, has one new hummingbird feeder that holds 32 ounces. There may be other brands with this extra large capacity also.
I have been using the saucer-type of hummingbird feeders for about 3 years now, and I can say they make a HUGE difference when it comes to bees! My old feeders would attract swarms of bees, which scared away the hummingbirds and made it nearly impossible for me to even get to the feeders. I have never had a bee problem since getting these feeders.
I spray ant killer on the wire I hang the feeders from and let it dry….then hang the hummingbird feeder….wa la….you will have no more ants on your feeders.
Hello Joyce,
Gosh, ant killer is risky. Hummers often brush against the hangers with their feathers putting them at risk of getting the ant killer on them. Then the hummer would ingest the ant killer when they groomed their feathers.
Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a better solution that is not risky to the hummers as long as you follow their directions: “Another extremely effective defense against ants is to paint the inside of an ant moat with “Tanglefoot,” a very sticky, insect-trapping material sold at plant nurseries. Then install the moat open side down on the feeder hanger wire. This way, the sticky material poses no threat of a bird getting stuck or contaminated, and stays protected from rain and dust.” See the Cornell site for directions on making your own moat.
I’ve had good luck with the Homestead hummingbird feeder, although the last ones I bought had a cheaper plastic base than the ones I’d gotten several years ago. It is a glass “milk bottle” style feeder with flexible feeding ports feature a built-in one-way valve. It allows hummingbirds to feed but stops spills and keeps out nectar-seeking insects. I still get some ants coming up my shepherd’s hook and running around the outside of the feeder, but have never had ants or hornets get inside.
I am going to try this feeder for sure next year as the humming birds will be leaving soon from here we are in N Y
I have this feeder and so for so good.I love it.Simple to clean.Going to find some more made this way.
Where do you find the saucer type hummingbird feeders?
Hi Nancy,
Most run between $20-$30 but I have seen small ones for less than $20 and ‘nicer’ ones for more than $30. Wild Bird Centers have stores in many parts of the U.S. and they carry the ‘HummZinger’, which is often recommended, and a mini version. Wild Birds Unlimited also have stores around the U.S. and they carry a number of saucer-type feeders.
I’m glad that you are having success with the saucer feeder, but I don’t see how that would work for me because of their limited volume. I currently have six 32 ounce feeders from Perky Pet and I have to refill four of those each day. None of my feeders makes it to 48 hours.
Hi Linda,
Actually Droll Yankee, a well known brand of wild bird feeders, has one new hummingbird feeder that holds 32 ounces. There may be other brands with this extra large capacity also.
Hummzinger feeders are wonderful – not a bee in sight. Google it!!
And what to do when the neighbor’s honey bees have found the feeder? My feeder bottom is made in two pieces, but it does not leak, but the honey bees have found that seam and must be able to feed from it. The whole feeder is covered with honey bees, and the hummingbirds come to the patio door and look in at me as if to say “do something about that”. I took it down for a day and cleaned it really good. The swarmed around the hanger all day. The only time the hummingbirds can get to it, is when the bees goes home for the evening earlier than the birds go to roost.
Hello Joan,
It sounds like your feeder parts do not have a good fit. Though it may not leak it should also not allow bees to drink through the seam. You might want to try a new saucer type feeder and check to make sure it has a tight fit. Also mine warns not to fill the saucer bottom beyond a marked level, this ensures that there is no sugar water close to where the top piece attaches, thus no liquid within reach of bees or wasps. This may be something to do with the design of mine but it is a good idea
I have as many butterflies eating from mine as I do humming birds. I do have a few ants, but not enough to be really concerned about. I brought them in yesterday and refilled them and found maybe 3-4 ants. I would not want to use insecticide on the hangers because of contamination when the birds sit there, they can pick up the residue.
where can i get a saucer feeder. Hav not found one around here.
Wild Bird Centers have stores in many parts of the U.S. and they carry the ‘HummZinger’, which is often recommended, and a mini version. Wild Birds Unlimited also have stores around the U.S. and they carry a number of saucer-type feeders.
I have had the most success with the saucer type hummingbird feeder similar to the one that you showed. It is the easiest to keep clean, and your tip about making sure not to spill any of the liquid is important. After I hang the feeder, I wipe it off to make sure the bees stay away. I also added the feeder umbrella which protects the feeder and seems to keep the sugar water fresher.
To control ants at my Humming Bird feeders I bought some small wrought iron umbrellas at a garden center made to create a water barrier that ants cant get across…turn upside down and fill it with water and place it on a hook and there is a hook at the botom to connect the hummingbird feeder.
keeps the ants out if you keep the water refreshed in the little umbrella.
I am having no luck with the bees, they are so hungry I refrain from chasing them away….they press their little faces down in the holes of the feeder trying to get a drink…I wish there was a safe bee feeder, I would get it. Here in Southern Illinonis wh have had a very hot dry year….I just bought another hummer feeder and hope there is room for all…
Patti,
Thanks for sharing your interesting ant barrier! I understand about wanting to help the bees. Have you tried planting some nectar flowers for them to feed on? As can be seen in my photos, I have a sunflower garden and many bees, wasps, insects and birds feed on the sunflowers so the bees don’t need to drink at my hummingbird feeders.
went and bought 2 this morning- they are on clearance price now rather than waiting till spring! so they are filled & hanging next to the others. wonder how long before they try the new ones?
Wow, Paula, you weren’t kidding when you first posted that you were going to buy some saucer-type feeders today. Glad you found some on clearance.
It may take a few days for your hummers to start using the new feeders
I had a saucer feeder, liked it, but the center stem eventually broke. I use 2 solutions to deter bees (1) hummers always flick nectar from their tongue as they fly away leaving sticky build up on the feeder, I gently pour water from watering can over the feeders daily as needed; (2) to deter bees effectively I use my finger to put a tiny covering of olive oil on the flower opening only, bees quickly move on; don’t use too much as hummers groom feather with their feet. For ant control, we wrap a small piece of old shirt fabric around the pole before the feeder, where hummers do not sit or come in contact, then douse it with oil (WD40 like) the ants will not pass over it.
also, we have 8 1-liter feeders and these methods are effective.
I brought two of the mini HummZinger from Amazon. They were less than $13.00 each. I have both types but the HummZinger are easier to clean and to see when it needs to fill. I haven’t had a bee problems with either type./
I have a saucer feeder I got from Wild Birds Unlimited and it is my “feeder of choice”. The one I got from WBU also has plastic tubes on the holes underneath with an X cut for the hummer’s probe. A few years ago I did even get bees on this feeder, but they gave up eventually and gave it back to the hummers as they couldn’t get through the tubes and the nectar is unreachable for them. It’s easy to clean also!! I highly recommend the saucer feeder from WBU. It cost around 30 dollars, but well worth it.
I’ve learned that bees are definitely attracted to the color yellow which a lot of feeders have(yellow flower at feeder opening). So getting a feeder that does not have yellow helped this year. My problem was with ants which I filled a spray paint can’s lid with water to keep away. I found out Yellow finches use this as their personal drinking spot.
I have way to many hummers for that small of a holder, as it is I go through one gallon a day with the four feeders I use, with one that small I would be filling it every half an hour. The hummers we have chase the bees away. But thanks for an interesting article.
I have trouble with ants that seem to like the nectar but they just drown so I clean the feeder often. The hummers around me prefer my plants anyway.
To solve my bee problem at hummingbird feeds I placed an old, large turkey platter on a stump out near my garden away from feeders. I then filled it with a weaken sugar water. Bees need water at their hives when it is hot – it is the way they cool the hive down. Worker bees then fan the water with their wings – instant air conditioning. They also need sugar water at a time when flowers are scarce.
To keep bees from hummingbird feeders I placed an old, large turkey platter out near my garden away from feeders. Fill it with weaken sugar water. Bees need water at their hives – they use it to cool down the hive by fanning their wings over water.
I still get bees on my saucer feeder. In fact, the small bees and flies crawl into the holes and die in the nectar. I have multiple feeder types and the bees, (or in my case yellow jacket wasps) always find them and are pesky and dangerous to the hummingbirds.
My saucer type feeder has a small cup around the hanger to fill with plain water. This is separated from the sugar water. Have had NO problems with bees, and ants tend to drop in the cup and drown. the sugar water stays clean Bought it at Wild Birds Unlimited.
We were having a problem with bees and earwigs getting into the feeder. In researching the problem, I read one recommendation to slightly weaken the sugar solution from the usual ratio, and that seems to have been effective. I also pour warm water over the feeder after refilling it to be sure all drips are washed off.