What's going on?

[Ken&Andria]

Fireweed is blooming here. Yea! Except that all I see in it is bumble bees. There are, however, a whole bunch of honey bees at our hummingbird feeder. What's going on?

My Italian package is starting to pack in honey, haven't seen much out of the other two yet, but I've supered them so I don't miss anything when it happens. It just seems strange that they'd take sugar water from the feeder when there's real food about...

[mike haney]

just because a plant blooms does not mean there is a useable ammount of nectar, only pollen. weather conditions dictate the ammount of nectar produced, and many believe the weather last year affects perenial plants nectar output. even in a good flow if the hive is rearing a lot of brood because the timing is a little off, or if there are a lot of drones in preparation for a swarm or supersedure there may not be a surplus. good luck,mike

[xC0000005]

I am so envious. We have only a little fireweed here but the bees are all over it. No idea why they aren't on yours. The blackberries are blooming too and most of the bees are on that, but the fireweed plants look like a post office - lines out the door waiting for their turn.

[Jeffrey Todd]

If there are a lot of bees at the hummingbird feeder and your bees are packing in "honey" you might have some adulteration going on. Bees will go for whatever gives them the highest return of what they want, and the sugar water in the feeder may be doing just that.

[Ken&Andria]

Well, I took the hummingbird feeder down, since there are way too many bees on it. They are just packing in thier first supers, which I'm going leave them for the winter, so I'm not too worried about messing with the honey I will hopefully harvest. I just can't figure out why they waited until now to hit the feeder.

I pulled the hive feeder off the hives over a month ago to slow 'em down, trying to keep them from swarming. I wonder if that had anything to do with this? But again, they didn't really hit on the feeder until the flow started. Weird-

[Brent Bean]

Have you checked for foraging activities on the fireweed at various times of the day? Many plants will present nectar during certain times of the day. In my garden zucchini presents nectar early in the morning until about noon, and you will find honeybees happily working them. In the afternoon cucumbers and pickles start up and you will see them switch and lots of activity their. They will learn these patterns, they may have discovered this great big flower that gives nectar all day long which you call a hummingbird feeder. And sometimes they find other nectar sources to there liking and will ignore what to us is a bonanza.
I see this early in the year I have a lot of Hawthorn bushes behind one group of hives some years they will work them heavily other years they are flying and putting on honey like mad and I won’t see a single bee on them. And they are only feet away form the hives. If they are packing down honey things are all well.

Like Whinny the Poo said you just can’t figure Bees.;)

[riverrat]

Well, I took the hummingbird feeder down, since there are way too many bees on it. -

I have heard people spray there feeders with pam or other cooking oils to make it slick where the bees cant land and hold on. I never peronally tried it so I dont know if it works.