No more bees no drips a snap to clean!
I initially bought a classic "perky pet" feeder with the glass jar draining down into several feeding "flowers." Despite the bee guards I often saw yellowjackets hovering around it. They squeezed themselves along the underside of the bee guards to get dribbles that leaked out of the flowers. Also I learned that bees are drawn to yellow (the color of the plastic flowers). I'm sure ants would have found the dribbles before long as well - there were even splatters on my deck.
Also there was no way to be sure the plastic base was really clean when I refilled it. I've heard you can poison hummers with fungus if the feeders are not cleaned thoroughly every 3-4 days. Fungus just loves sugar water.
I looked at some hummingbird afficionado sites and apparently the hummzinger models are the way to go. The simple construction is very easy to scrub out; no hidden recesses for fungus to grow. There is no yellow on it so less attractive to bees. I have not seen one yellowjacket since installing this! No drips and bees can't reach nectar through the openings.
It should be refilled even when it is not empty both because of fungus growth (I have found fungus after waiting too long) and also because it seems a bit deep for hummers to reach the bottom unless they are a long-billed variety. (I have Anna's hummers).
I had some trouble getting the lid off for cleaning untill I realized I could just use the brass hanger to push the base down while pulling the lid upwards.
It's worth the frequent cleaning when I can sit in my living room watching the birds enjoy their nectar. This feeder makes the maintenance as easy as possible.More detail ...
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