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I have a hanging feeder right outside our kitchen window. We can sit at the table and watch the birds feeding just a few feet away. It has a domed metal top; a quarter-turn locks and unlocks the top for filling.

When I refilled it yesterday I saw that wasps had decided to build a nest inside the top.


I used a whisk broom to clean it out, refilled the feeder and, when I went to rehang it, saw four of five wasps hovering in the air where it hangs waiting for the return of their happy home.

Sorry, guys.

Rusty

I have found wasp nest every where this year. They sure are a pesky bunch and seem to like my pond alot too. They land on the lily pads and scoop up what water they need and fly off. They are a pain in the Butt!!!!
Tina B

Oh my funny you should mention the little devils. I found them making a nest in my mailbox! I opened the box and one flew out! Eeek.

Rusty,

Did they come back and rebuild? I think I would have freaked out just a little bit when I found that in my hand!

Courtney

Yes, they came back.

I have had to refill three or four times; each time there have been four of five of the little devils crawling around inside the feeder tube. I have no idea what they are up to because there is no evidence at all of a new nest being started.

Rusty

When I refilled it yesterday I had my camera ready expecting to show the multitude of wasps inside the tube. I wasn't as ready as I thought as a half a dozen or so exploded out of the tube as soon as the top was removed. I did have time for two of the laggards.

I still can't imagine the attraction. Why do they persist in entering this feeder? What are they doing in there?

It is filled with Oil Sunflower Seeds and they were all gloppy and clumping together. Is there such a thing as wasp poop?

I emptied the feeder, washed it out with soapy water and refilled with fresh seeds.

We'll see.

Rusty

I wish I had the solution for keeping the wasps away. If you figure out the attraction, please let us know.
Be careful!

Well, of course there is such a thing as wasp poop... not that I've ever seen it. Just taking a guess, if the seeds were harboring little bugs, the wasps could be eating them. They're carnivores. Hopefully the new clean feeder and seeds causes them to lose interest. Unless the container of sunflower seeds has bugs in it, then there will be bugs in the feeder again. I don't know, I'm not an entomologist!

Courtney

Don't know if I've got bugs or not, something sure is attracting them to this feeder. They are not going to give up. When I looked this morning, there were a half-dozen back inside the tube, crawling around on the seeds. I sure don't want their "secretions" (whichever end they are coming from) glopping up my fresh seeds. Previously I had folded aluminum foil over the top of the tube. That was obviously not enough of a tight fit to slow them down.

I got some of that expanded foam stuff that fits over plumbing pipes to keep them from sweating. Cut it into a circle, slightly bigger than the tube, compressed it to fit inside, it than expanded to a snug fit -- sorta like a cork. I needed something easy to put in and out for refilling the tube.


Wasps Wars ! This is almost as much fun as trying to outwit squirrels.

I rehung the feeder and, in about 30 seconds, the first Chickadee zoomed it. Just moments later there was one wasp hovering around the top of the feeder. He didn't try to go in, flew around and then flew away. I'm guessing he was the Scout; now off to tell his buddies, "It is back!"

We'll see.

Rusty

Yep. He was a Scout. Two of the little devils are now sitting next to the opening they had been using to get in.


So far so good

Rusty