Oh my...I saw the same thing happen to one of my little hummers today. I'd never seen it before, and never even thought about a wasp chasing off a hummer. I'm really interested in a solution, too.

Thanks for starting this thread!
Beverly

apparently the insects will prefer a sweeter mixture of water and sugar, such as 2:1

set up another feeder or container with the sweeter stuff near the feeder, when the wasps find it, move it away from the hummers feeder...supposively the wasps will follow

I was having a really bad bee problem with a few wasps added in. I finally had to start making syrup - as in the consistency of karo- and put it in an aluminum pie plate, moving it further and further from the hummer feeders. Now only an occasional bee or wasp is seen on a feeder - unless I let the bee feeder run dry. They completely consume the stuff in just a few hours. I don't know how long I will be able to keep it up, but was desperate to give the hummers some relief.

WAR HAS BEEN DECLARED!!! I too have a severe wasp problem, I have tried the wasp trap with a two liter bottle , they are attracted to it but wont go in. So today Im going to try super hi concentrate on one feeder and when I get enough wasps on that out with the raid. I wont have much fear of hummers being bothered by it for wasps will have taken over the feeder, hummers will simply go to another feeder as they are doing now. After each dowsing I wash the feeder of any chemical. Anyway thats my plan of of attack.

hummersteve, I don't think I would go with that plan. You do know that once you kill off those there are hundred more in their nest to take their place. You would have to be out spraying all the time. Insecticides can do so much more damage. I have been trying to catch them with my pond net and steping on them but more come along.
I am looking into a trap now. In the meantime I have put out one feeder in the area just for those wasps so they will leave the other feeders alone.
Has anyone tried different types of traps?

Well, there are traps to catch wasps, and you can make them yourself. http://www.onlinediscountmart.com/wasp-traps.html, for example. Just try "homemade wasp traps" in a search engine.

I don't like them myself, but then I'm not the one having wasps attacking my hummers! I seem to be lucky so far.

Looks like the wasps won the first battle, the spray doesnt last very long even thou I killed some, dont worry didnt contaminate any hummer feeders ,changed any that got sprayed on. I even backed off on the nectar which I feed the hummers to a 1:5 mix, seemed to work for a while but now the wasps are back same as ever. So I will look into some other ideas in the meantime. Whoever mentioned the sun vs shade thing , forget it , it doesnt work here with wasps.

I have been having a terrible time with the yellow jackets this year, too. I have moved the one feeder (it is a decorative type with larger openings, they crawl right in it and some drown) away from my hummer garden and placed bowls with 2:1 sugar solution on the ground, so the hummers won't try to eat it. Only tried it for a day and has helped some, but still have some hanging around the feeders, but at least not so many they cover the ports. Not sure what is going on, but I didn't have this problem last year.

I made a couple of traps and at one feeder I replaced the feeder with the trap and did get several yellow jackets. The two feeders on my porch though- I put a trap on the ground under one feeder and only caught a few of them. I am out there a lot catching them with my pond net and quickly putting them to the ground and stomp on them. But more arive to take their place. I read on the net about them and looks like I will have to find the nest and take care of it.

maybe you could place an open saucer (with no lid) out there for the wasps, in an area that is further away from the hummers' feeder.. and they might keep using that one since it's easier for them to feed from.. and then the hummers can hopefully have theirs back? don't forget wasps are beneficial too..

this is interesting because i have wasps sometimes at my feeder too (saucer shaped) but usually only one at a time, so they don't present a problem... and if the hummer comes up, usually it will chase the wasp away!

The solution that has worked for me is changing the type of feeder. I use a feeder with a bottom reservoir (the hummzinger) and fill it only half full. The hummingbirds' tongues reach further than the wasps' can.
So although the wasps might still check it out they can't feed and don't stay. I DO have to refill the feeder more often. I love my humzinger feeders - so easy to clean - but any bottom reservoir feeder should work this way.
I've also heard that wasps are attracted by the yellow flowers on some feeders. My feeder is all red. I hope this helps!
Lucy

Ellix - be careful of stomping on yellow jackets. It seems to release a chemical that attracts more of them! It is a defense mechanism.

I believe some of the attractions for wasps is some hummers are a little sloppy and tend to drip some on the feeder which dries and becomes sticky and this attracts them. I have tried everything mentioned here and everything you have read most likely so have I. Since its cooled down some havent seen as many wasps, but I had backed off on nectar content and used oil on the feeders which both helped , but now since we are near the end I have increasd the dose , which they need now right before they takeoff for good.

For some reason(?) I haven't seen any yellow jackets at the hummers feeders for the last two days. I am not complaining but would like to know what's going on here? The weather droped a tiny bit but it's still in the 90s. Do they like horse manure? I did have 3 truckloads arrive but have been moving that around and haven't seen them there either.

One thing I noticed with the feeders when I don't change it out when it appears empty is a full bottom of dead yellow jackets. It seems to act as a trap-they get in and can't get out. So I let one empty out and replace another one for the birds.