After a brief break, the hummingbirds are back feeding from my feeders. And they are back in numbers - definitely a couple (I've seen them both feed from the same feeder at the same time, which is unusual), plus maybe at least a couple of others. The problem is that I've noticed my feeders are depleting much quicker than they should do. There is no way it is just the hummingbirds - they could not empty a feeder in a week. In the past, my trail cam has captured raccoons trying to get to the nectar. But nope, I realized today who it is. And it is an animal I've had problems with before. Bees. I saw them today on the feeders. They are a problem - not only do they consume loads of nectar, but they also frighten off the hummingbirds. So what to do about it? Well, I've just ordered a couple of new bird feeders that supposedly have bee guards. These guards kind of protect the feeding holes so that only hummingbirds can access the nectar. I'm not convinced they will work, but I'll give it a go.
