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Keep bees away from the bird feeder

Diana Balazs
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 11, 2006 12:00 AM

Question: For the past 20 years I have had a hummingbird feeder in my back yard. Two years ago, I had to move it from under a tree to a rafter near the patio. This was fine. No more ants. However, this year, I am plagued by a large number of bees. They are so thick they are discouraging my hummingbirds from using the feeder. I took the feeder down and put it in a new place. The hummingbirds have found it, but so have the bees. Am I dealing with more than our regular bees, or do I have some killer bees visiting? I want to keep my hummingbirds, but not the bees.

- Elaine Blinn,
Phoenix


Answer: If the bees are so thick that they are keeping the hummers away, you could have a beehive nearby. Bees are attracted to the sugar water or nectar in the feeder for the same reason that the hummingbirds are. And once they find food or water, they will return to the hive and alert the others.
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Here are things you can try to chase the bees away:

• Buy a feeder with bee guards, a dripless kind, or one designed with basins that keep bees, and also wasps, away from the sweet syrup, according to hummingbirds.net.

• Keep moving the feeder to a new location and hope the bees eventually give up, or take it down for a few days to trick them into thinking their food source is gone.

• Bees and wasps are attracted to the color yellow. If your hummingbird feeder has yellow on it, such as yellow flowers, remove the flowers, or paint the yellow areas with a non-toxic red paint.

• The Web site also suggests reducing the sugar concentration of the nectar solution (see following recipe) to 1 part sugar to 5 parts water to make it less attractive to insects.

If your bees don't go away, you should contact a bee-removal company to have a look.

In fact, residents should check their properties once a month for bees. Bees buzzing from flower to flower are not a problem as they search for nectar and pollen. But colonies of bees can establish in walls, eaves, tool sheds, trees and other undisturbed places.

As to your question whether your bees are honeybees or killer bees, all wild colonies of bees in the state are now of the Africanized kind, the experts say.

So-called killer bees look like regular bees, but are more aggressive.

And they are more prone to attack and in greater numbers than the European honeybee if their colony is threatened.

Q: I missed your column that provided guidelines for picking fruit from one's trees. Could you send or e-mail me the citrus fruit-picking schedule?

- Michael Edwards,
Surprise


A: I heard from several readers who missed my Jan. 14 column that included the citrus-picking guide. Here it is again:

Grapefruit: Fruit can be picked from November/December through May.

Lemons: September/October through March.

Oranges: mid-November/December through March. Note: Valencias ripen from mid-February through June.

Tangelos: mid-November/December through March.

Tangerines: December through February/March.

You can find a chart listing ripening information for specific varieties at greenfieldcitrus.com. Click on "ripening season."

Virtual garden: The Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson has a downloadable homeowners guide to Africanized bees. Go to gears.tucson.ars.ag.gov/stu dents/index.html and click on "Africanized Honey Bees."

A greener thumb: Hum mingbirds.net offers this recipe for artificial nectar:

• Use 1 part ordinary white cane sugar to 4 parts water.

• It's not necessary to boil the water. The microorganisms that cause fermentation don't come from the water; they are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills.

• Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.


Send garden-related questions, Web site suggestions and tips to Southwest Gardens, in care of Diana Balazs, The Arizona Republic Scottsdale Bureau, 16277 Greenway-Hayden Loop, Suite 200, Scottsdale, AZ 85260; via e-mail to diana .balazs@arizonarepublic.com; or via fax to (602) 444-6875. Please include your full name and the city you live in and a telephone number. Your number will not be published.




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