Here are some pictures that we took to show how the bees took to different hummingbird feeders. Some you might see labeled as bee proof or bee resistance. Maybe with some bees but not many passed the test here!
The Lewises (Harriet and Marion) sent me an email with these comments. They gave me permission to pass the hints on.
Julie, I read your nice piece regarding honey bees (Honey Bees vs. Feeders) and thought to pass on some ‘honey bee’ tips regarding the Tejas Feeder, a bottle type humming bird feeder.
Bottle type feeders operate with a ‘vacuum’ principle – – as hummers feed, they break the vacuum inside the glass bottle, allowing sugar-water solution to drop into the feeder base. . The ‘liquid level’ of a good hummingbird feeder is typically out of reach for honey bees That being said, if the feeder is located in a windy area, a ‘swinging’ feeder will cause vacuum break, and the feeder base will overfill, allowing honey bees to reach the sugar-water, which may also spill onto the ground/patio, hence ant problems
Secondly, honey bees are “siphoning artists”. I’ll explain … they can literally siphon sugar-water where the glass bottle joins the feeder base. Am not sure how they can do this, but it happens. Remedy … wrap a little Teflon tape around threading of glass bottle before attaching to feeder base – – this will shut down the siphoning routine. Also, always, gently/finger tighten glass bottle to Tejas aluminum feeder base to prevent ‘stripping” threading of feeder base.
Thanks very much for your order and for your interest in Tejas Hummingbird Feeders. Your Tejas Feeder has shipped. USPS tracking info follows: 9505 5000 1985 5327 0001 74; https://www.usps.com/.
Best regards from the Lewises. …MLL
PS: Also, re my comment about “heat transfer property”, plastic vs. metal… I think this is a big deal, and competitor, Perky Pet may agree.
Doug is going to give a talk sharing what he has learned on feeders mid December. I will be filming the talk and will share it with you.
