Anyone else have an unusually large number of hummingbirds this year?

[oosik]

If I could attract just honey bees or even yellow jackets - I'd set a shallow plate of sugar water out on the porch. But it would also attract the hornets. There is a hornet nest somewhere close, around the house or out buildings.

 

[ArlyA]

If I could attract just honey bees or even yellow jackets - I'd set a shallow plate of sugar water out on the porch. But it would also attract the hornets. There is a hornet nest somewhere close, around the house or out buildings.

When the wasps here get into the hummer feeders, the rubies will give them some distance.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I hang a yellow jacket trap about 3' from the feeder. It keeps the population down.

 

[sixdogs]

Our locals seem to have left but we still have some transients stopping by from the north. Things were relatively quiet this year with visits down maybe 75% from last year's unusually high numbers.

 

[goeduck]

If I could attract just honey bees or even yellow jackets - I'd set a shallow plate of sugar water out on the porch. But it would also attract the hornets. There is a hornet nest somewhere close, around the house or out buildings.

We have the bald faced devils too. When I am on the brush hog I mow pretty fast, so far so good. In the not too distant future we will be dealing with the Giant Murder Hornets from Asia since our friends to the north do not have them under control.

 

[reb]

This year has been unusual. The hummer population has been lower than usual and we have seen no young ones.

 

[dragoneggs]

My activity has been picking back up a little as we near fall. Nowhere near a quart a day as it was in spring but increasing.

I guess I better refill mine. Let them go dry the last month. Felt guilty but was out of town in Yellowstone/Grand Tetons for the last couple of weeks. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Oaktree]

My activity has been picking back up a little as we near fall. Nowhere near a quart a day as it was in spring but increasing.

A quart a day??!?? We don't go thru much more than that in a month!

If I could attract just honey bees or even yellow jackets - I'd set a shallow plate of sugar water out on the porch. But it would also attract the hornets.

You must have a different kind of hornet than we do, I'd take them over yellow jackets any day of the week. Our hornets generally won't bother you unless you bother them first, but yellowjackets are nasty!!

Our locals seem to have left but we still have some transients stopping by from the north. Things were relatively quiet this year with visits down maybe 75% from last year's unusually high numbers.

Same here. My wife saw an article not long ago saying that bird populations in general have been down this year. I'm sure some will blame it on climate change, but it's more likely just one of those cycles.

 

[goeduck]

You must have a different kind of hornet than we do, I'd take them over yellow jackets any day of the week. Our hornets generally won't bother you unless you bother them first, but yellowjackets are nasty!!

Our bald faced hornets are closely related to yellow jackets. Basically a black and white yellow jacket. I thought they were back east as well.

 

[kenmbz]

They are here in PA, took out 4 nests of BFH so far. Very aggressive. 2 surrounded me at one point and flew back and forth, so fast I could not see them while moving.

 

[Oaktree]

Our bald faced hornets are closely related to yellow jackets. Basically a black and white yellow jacket. I thought they were back east as well.

They may be but I don't think I've come across any around here.

 

[goeduck]

They are here in PA, took out 4 nests of BFH so far. Very aggressive. 2 surrounded me at one point and flew back and forth, so fast I could not see them while moving.

Thanks for confirming, Nice to know we out west are not alone with the bald faced devil.

 

[hugo454]

they seem to prefer our crepe myrtles over our feeder

 

[skipmarcy]

We've had a pretty typical year for the hummers, just starting to slow down this week a little. We have 2, 7 station feeders that hold 40 oz. each (2 1/2 qts. total) and they go thru those in less than 24 hrs. At the "peak" a week or two ago they were going thru them in approx. 12 hrs but have settled back down now. Been feeding them on the front porch here for 14 years now. Usually the last birds are seen in mid-Oct here and the latest we've ever seen them was about 4 or 5 days before Halloween. Northern middle TN. here.

 

[hugo454]

what do you use in your feeder?

 

[Sigarms]

Average year, 5 or 6 around the garden this year. They have dropped off, to the point where the feeder isn't really being used (got to the point where we had to keep it filled no more than 2 days max).

Performed my first humming bird "rescue" this week. Poor guy got stuck below a skylight on the roof overhang by the house front door, didn't know how to leave. After 24 hours he was resting on a ledge under the roof. Climbed up a ladder to get close, threw a towel over him, brought him down about 5' and he then figured out how to fly "into the open".

Coming into the house, heard a buzzing noise, had no clue what it was. After the second trip into the home, looked up and there he was trying to go the skylight. Poor bugger wore himself out.

 

[goeduck]

what do you use in your feeder?

Pretty standard. Water sugar mix at 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. I boil the water, add sugar, stir to dissolve and then let cool it down. I use organic sugar which gives the water a beer color look, I find it easier to see the water level. Keep it fresh and keep the feeders clean. I use feeders that open up enough to get good and clean.

 

[hugo454]

We've had a pretty typical year for the hummers, just starting to slow down this week a little. We have 2, 7 station feeders that hold 40 oz. each (2 1/2 qts. total) and they go thru those in less than 24 hrs. At the "peak" a week or two ago they were going thru them in approx. 12 hrs but have settled back down now. Been feeding them on the front porch here for 14 years now. Usually the last birds are seen in mid-Oct here and the latest we've ever seen them was about 4 or 5 days before Halloween. Northern middle TN. here.

 

[hugo454]

thanks

 

[Diggin It]

Been seein' the weirdest dang thing. I must have a hornet's nest somewhere (I ain't goin' looking for it) because I've been seeing these yellow and black hornets about a 1/4 the size of a hummer, maybe a bit smaller. The weird part is, they're feeding from the hummer feeders and chasing the hummers off. Not just off the feeders, but around the yard. Eventually the hummers will go sit on a tree branch and the hornet will come back to the feeder.

I can't really spray for the hornets since that might contaminate the feeder goop.

I went ahead and sprayed a bit ago since the feeders are nearly empty, so I'll bring them in and rinse them. Season is only about another month .... they usually leave the first week of October.

And the hornets usually abandon their nest by November.