What your mom never told you about "The Birds & The Bees"

This isn't the "when a bird and a flower love each other very much" speech... but it is the "there comes a time in every birder's life" one. There are some simple facts about hummingbirds and pollination that you should know, and how bees get involved in the process too. There's no embarrassing diagrams or pamphlets, just some good information and a few things to remember when using a hummingbird feeder.

Some flowers self-pollinate, and some flowers depend on the wind or animals to spread their pollen from one flower to the next. Many flowers that require animals to pollinate (specifically hummingbirds) are bright red and have long tubes that the hummingbird must nuzzle into in order to get nectar. Quite simply, the flowers are red because hummingbird's eyes are particularly sensitive to that color and the long flower tube ensures that the hummingbird's head will touch the flower's stamen where sticky pollen will cling to the hummer's forehead. When the hummingbird moves to the next flower they inadvertently deposit the pollen residue on their head and pollination is complete!

Cartoon depictions of hummingbirds pollinating usually have some showy flower "seducing" the bird to feed from it, and even in nature videos (because hummingbirds fly so quickly), the best way to see their pollination process is through slow-motion. But don't let the camera work fool you into thinking pollination is anything "sexy" or "romantic". Hummingbirds don't know they are pollinating! Birds and insects pollinate flowers involuntarily - they are only in it for the food. Flowers have adapted to encourage visitors to pollinate, and the longer a host flower gets a guest to stick around the better chances pollen will rub off on them. Birds and insects have to WORK and as their reward they get sweet nectar to live on. Nice work if you can get it!

Since insects also pollinate flowers, they too are attracted to the smells and sights of nectar-rich flowers. Bees are the number one pollinators of the insect world, and if you have a hummingbird feeder it's almost guaranteed you'll have some black & yellow visitors! Bees can become pests, and if enough are feeding they can drive hummingbirds away. Remember, they are competing for their dinners and mob rules!

Hummingbird feeders that have feeding ports that mimic natural hummingbird flowers (like the red glass flowers in our bird feeders) typically discourage bees. Only the tiniest can squeeze down the long shafts, and most will give up because they can't fit. Hummingbirds can still use the feeder because their super-long tongues feed from the bottom of the vessel. In other brands and styles where there are open ports or places nectar "drips" out of there is no way to stop bees from accessing the nectar.

They say "the best offense is a good defense" - and if bees are unwelcome at your feeder you're going to need to be a little proactive in getting rid of them. Unlike hummingbirds (which have incredible memory and will visit the same nectar locations year after year), bees are much more nomadic in how they collect nectar. Bee drones go out from the colony and report back with the exact location of food every day. So if some nectar bearing flower is in bloom one week and not the next they don't waste time and energy looking for something that isn't there.

Getting rid of bees is easiest when you MOVE your feeder every day for a week. If you have your feeder hanging in a tree move it to another at least 3 feet away. Then the next day move your feeder to somewhere else. This hide-and-go-seek method really works! Bees lose interest because they think the "flower" is out of season. It's really that simple.

If you have a lot of bees in your area - and they are persistent little buggers - you may have to resort to more creative solutions for your feeders. You can dissuade bees by using bird-friendly options to temporarily reduce the size of the feeding port (remember, bees need to get in flowers to get the nectar and if they can't fit they'll go away). You can use cling film like Saran Wrap or Glad brands to wrap over the flower feeding port, and use a large needle to puncture a hole so the hummer can still get it's tongue down to the nectar but bees can't squeeze through. Only use non-toxic materials, a good rule of thumb is: if you wouldn't put it in your mouth don't put it near hummers!

One of the worst things you can do is put bee traps in your yard. Bees can be pests to birds and humans (I'm very allergic to stings myself), but they are also a very valuable member of the ecosystem! They account for the most pollination in the U.S., pollinating more species of plants than any other animal. Crops for farming and ranching depend on commercial bee hives, and local beekeepers are popping up more and more as a way to keep plant breeds healthy and strong. Many news reports have been following the decline of bee populations and it could spell disaster if we don't protect these tireless pollinators! Our planet needs every bee we have so "Bee Wise and Bee Friendly"!