I read that wasps will avoid an area that has vinegar on it. I took paper towels soaked in vinegar and wraped it around the feeder. They did avoid the feeder but only till the vinegar had dried. I also put out a few jar lids with nectar in them away from the feeder and this did help a little. Watermelon rinds or any kind of fruit will help too.
I have heard that bananas will actract fruit flys that the hummers will come eat, havent tried it yet. I will pray you get some rain soon.

I probably would try a small amount of store bought honey diluted with water in a small bowl and set it near by the feeder to see if that might help.

Have not tried it but over on the Hummingbird forum, it was suggested to set out a stronger solution of hummingbird food away from the feeder and the bees will go to the sweeter solution. Are you sure they are honey bees and not a wasp. Over the last week, out here in NJ the Wasps have been getting very active.

I use soaker hoses and various salvias to feed my hummingbirds. The neighbors have some 3-foot high red-flowering plants that really take the drought. I don't know what they are, but the scarlet flowers are sort of swirled balloons. The hummers like those.

I would put out more feeders. If they are red, the hummers will find them quickly. Something that has worked for me, is to move the feeder for a bit, as little as a few feet. The insects moved on, and eventually I moved it back. However, I never had a large amount of bees. This trick hasn't worked for everyone, either. Back to the more feeders idea. Bees aren't my favorite without an allergy, but aren't they dying off? So, feeding both might be beneficial anyways. Just my thoughts. Also, for another place to post hummer questions.......

Christy :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Another Hummingbird Forum

Hello Dirtgirl
Not sure if this would help...
I keep honeybees, this Oriole feeder with bee guard keeps them away.
Also, make sure your feeder is mostly in a shaded area, honeybees don't like to go there.
Konrad

{{gwi:431304}}

Hello again. Thanks for all the responses. I would have gotten back to you sooner but my husband had an accident at work and this week the hummers were rather on autopilot.

There are some good ideas here...I was smacking my forehead about the honey suggestion. That sounds like the most obvious solution, wish I had thought of that one myself. I still have yet to try it but honey is on my list next time I'm at the store. I did try fruit and they totally ignored it. I don't recall ever having a problem with honeybees, but I AM surprised that they are this possessive.
Konrad, as usual I am writhing in photo-envy agony. You and several others on the forums are certainly gifted shutterbugs. I like the thought of an oriole feeder, but the problem is that these bees aren't just at the feeding ports. No matter how tightly I keep the feeders screwed together, they still congregate at the threads, the ports, the seams...anywhere there is even a TRACE of moisture. And yes, they are honeybees and not the usual metallic bees or small wasps. In fact, I am seeing very little of the usual wasps/bees and I think the honeybees are driving them away as well.
We are supposed to get a bit of rain this afternoon (believe it when I see it) and I wonder if that will help. Only problem now is that many of the flowering plants have not simply aborted their blooms, they are dead altogether at the crowns so there won't be much of a sudden flush of blooms once the rain does finally fall.
It's bad enough that some large animal/animals are coming up to the house at night and draining my birdbath. I suspect deer but I have yet to actually see it so who knows. That's the only source of fresh water now unless you walk to the neighbor's pond, about 2/3 of a mile.

Thank you DG!
I hope things have settled and your husband is doing fine.
Konrad

Thank you, Konrad, that's kind of you. We got off lucky this time...the accident could have been MUCH worse.

THe drought situation is no better. We did have a shower of less than a tenth of an inch last night, which was frustrating since it was a well organized weather event right up to the point where it crossed the river into Illinois. Then it just evaporated. TO be hearing about flooding and loss of life just a few states away while everything here is dead and brown and suffering is terribly ironic.
Something interesting and mysterious has happened with the hummer situation. The honeybees just vanished one day. THey went from dozens at each feeder to absolutely nothing in a day's time. I don't know where the hive was or I'd go have a good look around. Perhaps even with the hummingbird nectar there was simply not enough food available and they abandoned ship, but they'd have to travel a heckuva long way to find better conditions. I also wonder if hive collapse syndrome is happening here like it is in other parts of the country and if so, if it may have played a part in their sudden leaving. Guess I'll never know.

>>I also wonder if hive collapse syndrome is happening here like it is in other parts of the country and if so, if it may have played a part in their sudden leaving. Guess I'll never know.We have this phenomena here too, nobody really knows why, it happens more to large operations, my theory is, some hives are put on farms, where they get too much of one thing, nectar and pollen, my hives are away from those large fields and feed manly on other food sources, like many weeds and wild clover etc., it makes a nicer honey this way too!...So get your honey from a small bee keeper! It's also better for you, it's raw, unheated honey, the good stuff, like enzymes and pollen still there!

For instance, if honey bees are getting too much nectar from Canola, honey they store for winter is no good, most bees will starve because it crystallizes so hard, bees can't process it in winter when cold, the honey is too hard!
Bee keepers have to take most of it out and feed them with sugar water before freeze up.
About your bees....
I suspect they have found a good "natural" nectar source, when this happens, you can't entice them with sugar water.
Konrad

The first time I tried "raw" honey I was amazed at the difference.
Like one day having fresh garden green beans after only ever having had the canned , store-bought variety. What we are missing!!
I do hope you are right about the bees leaving after finding an alternative.

I grow red or scarlet salvia for the hummingbirds, which would be an annual for you, but it reseeds very readily. The hummingbirds love it and if you keep pinching off the stalks the will get 3 feet tall and wide in one season. I also grow zinnias and they are really drought tolerant and the hummers like them too.

I also have lots of plates and platters of water placed around my yard and near flowers for the bees to get a drink but I keep them shallow with something in the middle so they can crawl out if they fall in.

Konrad, I have been thinking the same thing as you about the honey bees. Bee keepers move their hives from one field to another but I am wondering if honeybees are getting enough of the naturally growing stuff in their diets, like herbs, wildflowers, tree pollen. Many of the crops grown today are hybrids and genetically engineered and I am thinking they aren't as nutritious for the bees (and probably not for us either).

I had the same problem with yellow jackets. An earlier post suggested adding a separate dish near the feeder. I did exactly that. I filled a shallow container with sugar and added enough water to make a thick, syrupy solution. Most of the yellow jackets flocked to the stronger solution and left the feeder. Only a few remained, leaving enough time for the hummers to return and feed uninterrupted.