Athena Rayne Anderson

This content is based on a post originally published on October 18, 2011, on my blog “Pollinators Info” (no longer online).

This post is in response to a question from Pamela. Like many people, Pamela has hummingbird feeders and has noticed bees (probably honey bees) drinking from them. Here’s her concern: “Are the bees attracted only to the hummingbird nectar, or will they also consider taking up residence here, because where there’s food, there’s a reason to stay?”

This is a good question, so let’s talk about it a little.

Here are some basic things to keep in mind about honey bees:

• They will look for food more than a mile from their nest. Your hummingbird feeder is probably not the only source of food in the area.
• They tell their sisters where they found a good source of food, so if they like your feeder, you’re likely to see more of them as time passes.
• When a hive swarms, a new hive is formed from part of an old one, so the result is two smaller hives from one large one. This usually happens in spring.
• A swarm looks for a cavity to live in- a dry, protected place with enough room for them to hang honeycomb.
• They like EMPTY cavities- they won’t pull out a bird’s nest to use the cavity it was in.
• Bees can get into your house walls or floor through a space as small as 1/8 inch.

So… what does all this mean as far as the likelihood of honey bees nesting in your house if you feed them in your yard? There’s probably not much correlation.

Knowing what you do now about honey bees, what can you do to keep them from nesting in your house?

• Close those gaps! Walk around your house and look for holes around windows, between siding boards, at the roof line, etc. and fill them.
• Insulate your walls and floor so the major cavities in your building are full of “stuff” that will discourage bees from nesting there.

Please don’t stop providing habitat for pollinators!

They need all the help we can give them. If you’re worried about the bees you’ve attracted with your garden or bird feeders becoming pests, focus on making your house a poor nesting choice for them. Let me know how it goes in the comments below!

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