Humming birds and bees

[m._huber]

At my previous house I always had photo opportunities for humming

birds on my trumpet vine. At my new house, the trumpet vine is quite

profuse, but the only humming birds I saw there showed up early in

the spring, although I still have humming birds at other places and

other flowers. (Photo opportunities not as good.) The trumpet vines

are loaded with bees and the plant is in full sun. Question: Do the

bees keep the hummers away, or do they need partial shade?

[robert_kennedy]

My first question would be how far did you move? Hummers migrate (except for one species in the S.W. IIRC) and the new area may be a bit outside their range.

 

Plus there are ALWAYS regional variations. The old place may have had more hummers due to a feeder nearby, or who-knows-what. I'd put out a feeder and see what happens. It may attract more hummers who will then feed on the trumpet vine as well as the feeder. Also look at landscaping for hummers. Many places sell packets of seeds which attract them.

 

As for the bees, I dunno. I'd DOUBT it. Hummers are FEARLESS. I have had them hover within inches of my face. I guess when you are that fast nobody can get you....

[m._huber]

I moved about 30 miles and the hummers here are the same. However, i guess full sun has nothing to do with it. This morning a couple of hummers let me sit about 3 feet away and get several pictures as they worked on the yellow gladiolus which are in full sun. I guess the bottom line is that they prefer certain flowers which I didn't have before. I tried a feeder first. Nada. Then they showed up for ths trumpet vine for a short period shortly after the first blooms.

[chrisober]

I live just NW of Houston, TX and use a feeder that is usually in full sun. I've haven't noticed any bees at the feeder but it does get a lot of activity from wasps and yellow jackets. The hummingbirds never seem to care that the wasps are there and will pick an adjacent tube on the feeder to visit.

[birdsofearth]

May be there was less food available for them at your previous place so they used to come to your place regularly. May be more food is available at your new area, so they are not that regular!

 

Try putting multiple feeders around all sides your house, and who knows they might prefer your new place too!

 

Couple of times I've seen a bee attacking a hummer, and hummer leaving the area! I've a butterfly bush in full boom, but I've (WA) rarely seen a hummer going there, they seems to prefer feeder.<div></div>

[bliorg]

NW of Houston, the hummers are there. You may just need to bring them in with more food (feeders, fuschias, etc), and it may take a couple of seasons for them to add you to their list of hot spots.

[alex_lofquist]

Hum... Another Birds and Bees question!

 

Alex

[chelsea]

Our hummingbird population has increased tenfold over the past few years, probably due for the flower beds having done the same. They love salvia, so we plant LOTS of it. Anything red seems to attract them. We also have more feeders out for them. It may just take a couple of years for your local population to zero in on a good food supply. Next spring consider planting lots of red flowers, especially those like salvia that hummers like. We have a couple of butterfly bush this year, but due to the drought they only put out a few flowers, these are popular both with the hummers and insects.

 

There are often wasps on the feeders, some of the hummers don't like them, but some just give them a little whack with their beak to get them to move. We watched one chase a wasp a few feet this morning.

 

For the "true nature" shot showing a hummer on a native plant, pots of flowers can be positioned around the native plant, drawing the hummers in, but being moveable so you can get them out of the way for the picture.

 

-Rose-Marie

[m._huber]

My red salvia plant is the favorite hang out of my two hummers. No cousins or friends yet. I shall plant it in a more photographic spot next year and follow the many great suggestions above for more hummers.

[robert_kennedy]

I'm just lazy. I live about 30 minutes from The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum which has a hummer aviary. Yesterday I shot two rolls of hummer. Including an Anna's which was sitting on a branch at waist level only 2 feet away from me. I literally had to step BACK to get the bird in focus!

[jerome_smith]

Having recently moved to Arizona, I've spent considerable time over the past 2 months observing and photographing hummers at feeders. The answer to your question is "yes, the bees do keep the hummers away." Fortunately, I've set up at places that have multiple feeders, so there's room for all. But when a hummer lands on a spot where the bees are feeding, the bee will chase the hummer away,and the hummer offers no resistance. Even the fiesty Rufous will back away from a bee(s). The solution to the problem for many of the gracious hosts that feed hummers and welcome birders and photographers to their back yard is to put out one or two feeders specifically for the bees. These feeders have a super sugar/water ratio, much sweeter than the regular 1 sugar to 4 water used for hummers. The bees prefer it and stick to those feeders, leaving the hummer feeders and the hummers alone.

[m._huber]

Jerome, thanks for the info and the good suddestion.

[m._huber]

Correction: ...good suggestion.