first i learned they don't like to share so I bought a handful of small feeders and placed the out of sight lines of each other.

then I learned that like civilized people, prefer to have a seat al the table, rather than eat on the wing, so I made perches out of bent wire.

then the ants came, so I made ant moats out of the tops of water holes corks and cup hooks.

then came yellow jackets licking at the section when the bottle screws into the feeder cap. none of my feeders leak, but some of the sugar solution must be infiltrating the treads. so I wrapped that section in screen with a rubber band that I can slide down over that section and keep them off.

this week I noticed huge black and white bald face wasps that will actively chase away the birds and can drink right out of the nozzles.
come on mother nature! gimme a break!
it's already looking like some hinky DIY junk with the wires and rubber bands and ant moats... now what?

anyone have feeders that deal with these problems out of the box? any solutions for the bald faces hornets? they're huge and mean...

I'm having much better results with the feeder in total shade, up high on a covered porch. I have no scientific evidence, but it seems logical that when exposed, the inside of the feeder would heat up, expanding the air inside, and forcing the nectar to drip out. Those drips definitely invited hornets and ants to my feeders in the past.

Sorry, I don't have a solution - have the same problem. First it was bumblebees hogging the feeders and now it is the hornets. The hornets are fighting each other in mid air battles. Hummingbirds just have to wait their turn and hope the wasps move out of the way. I have four small tube feeders placed in different areas and hope the hummers are able to obtain enough juice as it is almost time for them to pack their tiny bags and head south to Mexico or whereever they migrate to. I will miss them. The male has already been gone for about two weeks.

Wow that hummers get to Z2!

There are plastic cages that fit in the feeder to discourage other sweet tooth insects.

Sometimes the bees get stuck in them , otherwise works pretty good.
There are many different styles of cages per feeder.

Also helps to provide a water source in another area for winged insects.

purpleinopp said: Wow that hummers get to Z2!

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Yup purpleinopp it is amazing that they come this far north in Canada. We have only ruby-throated hummers. I see your location is Alabama. Do your hummers stay all year round or do they also migrate?
Tonight the temperature is going down to 6 degrees Celsius (quite chilly) and fool that I am I worry about the little gaffers being cold -wish I could bring them in the house overnight.

The hummers here in Oregon over winter thru winter/snow season. Lots of nice deep warm nests to stay in located strategically in areas protected from wind , rain and snow during colder seasons. Usually thick leafed evergreens .

Tiger, that really is amazing, I had no idea. Hummers must stay around all year in my area. I've seen them in Feb visiting camellias. Snow is extremely rare here.
There are plenty of frosty nights here, but the usual low for most of the winter nights is about the same as your low last night. The last time the temp was below 70 (21-22 C) here was in May I think. Stay warm up there!

Bea, do you keep feeders out all year?

Bumplbea, in Oregon does the snow last for months or is it fleeting? If it does last what do the hummers feed on? I would imagine the flowers would be covered in snow thus eliminating nectar, the hummers food source.

Feeders are out all year. If I forget believe me they let me know. Lots of food around and they slow down their metabolism sorta hibernation…as the winters here runs the gambit..can be anywhere from 1" of snow to several inches 8" . Ice storms , wind storms …
For more info ..
https://www.birdsandblooms.com...

I've read their diet consists of a lot of small insects in addition to nectar. They start to show up in NY right around our last frost date when there isn't much but Tulips in bloom, so they must have some other diet. i did try a "protein feeder" this year, which is basically a hanging fruit fly hatchery, but not a single bird ever visited it, which reminds me, I should go throw that out

I guess I'll have all winter to figure out a better plan for next year.

Migratory hummers have arrived in Texas with hurricane season, I have 10 1cup feeders out right now, had to make 6 cups of nectar today alone - a good friend posted she had 1 bird, the next day she had 2 birds, and the morning after that she made and fed 3 gallons of nectar. Males leave first, they are the territorial little twerps, hog a whole feeder to themselves and fight everyone. August netted me 15" of rain after a year of high heat and drouth, but with every sprinkle in Aug, new, tired birds showed up to just sit and drink.
Fire ants, I use tanglefoot on the S Hooks the feeders hang from. Nasty stuff, like rubber cement that never hardens and doesn't wash off.
Wasp traps are a pretty jar, cork in the top, hole in the bottom, but the bottom hole is raised to make a moat- I use nectar, and I don't trap and release cuz our red wasps are mean and I have an 8 month old ggrandson. I don't have honeybees usually- this year they are after the coral vine and not the basil, so my feeders are in the backyard.
I like no feeders with narrow necks, too hard to clean out. I do bubble the feeders since my hummingbirds get offended at little black things that crawl into their nectar. Yes, hummers love to feast on mosquitoes. Might take more pics come morning of my feeders, chuckl.

Hmmm, I do not like the feeder below, it holds 2 cups easy, but isn't protected much in rain.

Kay - I agree on the feeders wide mouth easy to clean. I find using a quip help clean the small area they drink from. They are very territorial. They are lil but can be a threat to the others. And this is when the hummer acrobat flying starts. Farting in and out so funny to watch.

What a great idea using tanglefoot , to keep the ant out.

And it sounds like you'll have flocks coming thru .. looking foreword to see more pics…

That's amazing! I noticed yesterday more than 1 hummer zipping around my yard so I put my 2nd feeder back up. There are (yes, you guessed it) plants blocking the view between the feeders.

BullysMamma said: first i learned they don't like to share so I bought a handful of small feeders and placed the out of sight lines of each other.

then I learned that like civilized people, prefer to have a seat al the table, rather than eat on the wing, so I made perches out of bent wire.

then the ants came, so I made ant moats out of the tops of water holes corks and cup hooks.

then came yellow jackets licking at the section when the bottle screws into the feeder cap. none of my feeders leak, but some of the sugar solution must be infiltrating the treads. so I wrapped that section in screen with a rubber band that I can slide down over that section and keep them off.

this week I noticed huge black and white bald face wasps that will actively chase away the birds and can drink right out of the nozzles.
come on mother nature! gimme a break!
it's already looking like some hinky DIY junk with the wires and rubber bands and ant moats... now what?

anyone have feeders that deal with these problems out of the box? any solutions for the bald faces hornets? they're huge and mean...

A few years ago I had a similar problem. It was suggested here that I move the feeders to shady locations and change the type of feeder to the Hummzinger. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FJTXRC/
Incidentally these feeders have perches and a built in moat. I use water in it and it doesn't evaporate before it is time to refill the feeders. Otherwise you could use oil in the moat.

I did both and have no more problems with yellow jackets on the feeders at all. The feeders are now in a location near a birdbath and although I see wasps and hornets at the birdbath, they do not bother the hummer feeders at all. (Or me) I think the wasps and hornets were simply looking for moisture. The yellow jackets were mean and I am glad they don't like the feeders or the location. Good luck next season!

Wasp traps worth their weight, feeder nectar but treble the sugar in the wee bit. They want the sugar, as they are usually attracted to over ripe fruits like plums


The top of this jar comes off, no screw on, they don't care for this one

This one the bottom is a bowl, again with a lift off feeder source, sigh tiny neck tho.

These my dau wanted pretty ones, so there are 2 of these. The bottleneck doesn't allow for nectar flow, but hummers like them.



This shape S Hook allows a perch

Migration has been happening for 2 weeks here, males mostly. I woke up to find half the grumpy old males have left this morning

This was reclaimed from a welders dump bin try to figure out what I could make of it. It is hung above roof level from a meathook I rescued in the 80's on a 2by that is above the porch and unfinished, and now that grumpy isn't guarding it religiously, the younger hummers swarm it like parakeets.

My favorite feeder hands down is this one, sitting perches and 8 feeder slots, easy clean and thank you Walmart!

Katrina. I like that first one… lots of space for perching . Very clever . I have not seen one like it. Very creative… now where can I find a welders dump bin..

Many of the hummer feeds around here are like the red type in you pics. Large medium and small sizes. Some of the fancy types don't work well or to tricky to clean. Many have cages that fit over the feeder holes to keep the bees out. The ants are everywhere inside and outside ..

Kittriana, glad to hear that the migrating hummers have reached Texas. Hoping my guys made it there. If they did, sounds like they would have a feast at your home. There are so many good people who help them along. their route by keeping feeders up. It appears I am down to only one hummer now. Just last night it flew up in front of my face and just hovered there looking at my face (probably making a mental photo so it remembers me if it returns next year). Thank you from a person in Northern Canada for feeding them. It is such a delight when they return in spring.

These feeders are apparently all Perky Pet products. This one is the hardest to figure out how to keep clean, slowest to be used by Ruby Throats, less apt to ever spill out, but not my favorite.

These are the guys I have to relocate into the woods. Am lucky none of them have spit at me, but here in the south, there are some that do