# Hummingbirds and Bumblebees

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbirds-and-bumblebees/106484>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 30, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbirds-and-bumblebees/106484 "2002-04-30T15:46:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pearsonj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/0ea827/32.png) [@pearsonj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pearsonj)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbirds-and-bumblebees/106484/1 "2002-04-30T15:46:54Z")

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My wife loves hummingbirds, but is deathly afraid of bumblebees. I’d like to get her a hummingbird feeder for the backyard, but I don’t want to attract bees as a result. Does anyone know if that is inevitable? Thanks!

–Jeff

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**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [April 30, 2002, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbirds-and-bumblebees/106484/2 "2002-04-30T17:02:58Z")

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Some (most? all?) hummingbird feeders have screens over the feeders that prevent bees and yellowjackets from getting to the food. The hummingbirds have long bills, and can reach the liquid.

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**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbirds-and-bumblebees/106484/3 "2002-05-01T05:28:58Z")

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I have a hummingbird feeder; they are made so whatever tries to go after the sugar water has to be either very small to fit through the screen/down the channel (a couple mm), or have a long sucker to get to it (a couple cm). The only insect problem I ever had was ants; but this was only because I hung it from a tree that the ants routinely crawled up. Little bastards would drain the feeder in a few days. Never had a problem with bees.

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**Author:** ![partly\_warmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@partly\_warmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partly_warmer)\
**Post date:** [May 1, 2002, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hummingbirds-and-bumblebees/106484/4 "2002-05-01T05:57:29Z")

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Jeff,

I’ve tried many hummingbird feeders. I live in a situation where bees/wasps/etc will be attracted within a few hours if anything they like is left out.

Insects have scant intelligence, but they recognize a losing battle to get food. If they can’t taste the sugar, eventually they’ll leave, and won’t come back.

The only kind of feeder to avoid is one which drips: then the bees figure they’ll get more.