5 Natural Ways to Keep Bees Away from Hummingbird Feeders, According to Experts

One of the best ways to attract more hummingbirds to your yard is by hanging feeders filled with homemade nectar. The only downside is that the sugary syrup hummingbirds love also attracts bees and other insects.

While there isn’t a direct danger to hummingbirds sharing their feeders with bees, a swarm can deter hummingbirds from using the feeders, says David Mizejewski, a naturalist with the National Wildlife Federation. 

To protect the hummingbirds in your area and encourage them to visit your feeders, we spoke with wildlife experts who shared the five best natural ways to keep bees away from hummingbird feeders.

Start at the Source

Protecting your feeders from hungry bees begins in the kitchen. Deter bees from soaking up the nectar by diluting the blend, mixing it with more water than sugar. “One part sugar plus four parts clean water is best,” says Robyn Underwood, an extension educator in apiculture with the entomology department. “The hummingbirds will be happy and the bees will be less interested.”

Use Insect Guards

The most effective way to keep bees from taking over your hummingbird feeders is to prevent them from accessing the syrup in the first place. “Bee tongues are only about a 1/4-inch long—a hummingbird's beak is much longer,” says Underwood.

Most feeders have guards designed to impede insects from accessing the food inside. If you’ve lost yours, you can buy replacements or make your own by putting short pieces of tubing (available by the foot at hardware stores) into the feeder’s holes, says Underwood. “The key is to keep the syrup more than a 1/4-inch away from the opening,” she says. 

Mizejewski also recommends adding insect barriers to the feeding ports. “Hummingbirds will be able to reach the sugar water with their long bills and tongues, but insects will not,” he says.

Clean and Maintain the Feeders

A hummingbird feeder covered with drips or streaks of syrup is too enticing for bees and other insects to resist. “Sugar water on the outside of the feeder will help lure in insects or other creatures, such as bears, looking to take advantage of the sweet treat,” says Mizejewski.

Wipe your feeder regularly to remove the remains of the hummingbirds’ most recent meal, and fix any leaky feeders to mitigate drips. “Feeders that drip sugar water are more likely to draw in insects and other critters,” says Mizejewski. 

Relocate the Feeders

If your backyard bees have chosen your hummingbird feeders as their go-to spot for a daily meal, rotating the feeder location is a low-effort way to disrupt the routine—and return full access to your hummingbirds. “Choose a shady area, which is less likely to attract bees and wasps than a sunny one,” says Mizejewski. Plan to change the location regularly as the bees catch on. “Eventually, the insects will find it again, and you can move it back to the first spot,” he says.

Provide Other Food Sources

While the syrup in your hummingbird feeders draws birds and bees, it’s not their preferred food. “Nectar is a better source of food for both bees and birds than sugar water,” says Underwood.

Growing a few pollinator-friendly plants will draw bees in pursuit of precious nectar away from hummingbird feeders. "If you have plenty of native blooming plants, bees and wasps will have food sources other than your feeder,” Mizejewski says. “Include plants for hummingbirds, such as cardinal flower, coral honeysuckle, and sages, and you won’t even need a feeder."