CHIP NOTES

By Johanna Juntunen A busy feeder! Photo: Lois Manowitz Who doesn’t enjoy watching hummingbirds darting from flower to flower, or visiting feeders hovering in the air like magicians? But often, the party is crashed by uninvited guests: bees and wasps with an acute sense of smell . Their venom could be fatal to birds weighing only a few grams. If your feeders are constantly covered in buzzing insects, you've likely seen the hummingbirds struggle to feed or avoid the feeder altogether. But how do you keep the insects away without harming the birds? The problem with quick fixes Popular "solutions" are often ineffective or even dangerous for hummingbirds. These include: Yellow bee guards: They don’t work because bees are attracted to yellow . Sticky Substances (like Vaseline): Online tips, such as putting some Vaseline on the feeder ports, harm the birds if they ingest it or get the sticky stuff on their feathers. Bee traps that kill the insects: Killing the insects is cr...