Bats and hummingbird feeders

[ComputerGuy]

EDIT I have to retract what I wrote; and my sincere apologies. I was completely taken in by the angle of your photo. From this vantage point, it looks identical to the Oriole feeders. As I was looking at it again, I realized those must be pretty big bats! And the angle of the sitting pegs suggested they were folded up, which they are not... you are right, that's your basic humming bird feeder. I will post tomorrow a picture of my Oriole feeder, so you can see (in this case, anyway) I am not a complete $%&/().

Probably, but it is an Oriole feeder. It is for bigger birds. And it has bigger holes, but with little popup doors to prevent ants and

other crawly things, including bees, from getting in. The sitting branches are too far away for hummers, and are designed for heavier birds. Hummingbirds have to force those little doors with their long beaks/tongues. You can buy the proper feeders at that pet supplies shop in Riberas near Magana, or at the Animal Shelter, although the other place usually has more selection.

[hkrause]

We have the bat problem with our feeders as well. Hard to time it, but we try to leave them up for evening "rush hour" feeding by the last hummers, then take them down before bat time. For somebody who doesn't want to take their feeders down at night, the grocery sack idea sounds good, but we bring them in anyway to clean and refill for the next morning's rush (have to fill multiple feeders 2-3 times a day!).

Just brought back a couple of the HumZinger feeders to test because we also had lots of trouble with bees. These things work great, and we'll be getting more next time we're in the US! Since the feeding holes all face upward rather than sideways, there are no leaks and the bees can't access the nectar, so they've been minimized as a problem. Orioles don't seem to like these as much, but maybe they're just nesting now instead of coming to the feeders (they eat insects while nesting, I think).

Speaking of which, the fruit bats that come to hummingbird feeders don't eat insects, except in rare cases (I don't think). Therefore, leaving up feeders to attract them won't help with your insect issues. It does, however, improve your chances of getting red bat poop on everything outside and possibly contracting some disease they carry (worse than rats, I've been told). Also, if the bats really like your yard, they might decide to set up house under your roof tiles. I agree that they're a hoot to watch, however, and we usually try to arrange a 1-night visit from them whenever we have company staying at our house.

Heather

[henrylaxen]

The hummzinger feeder I am talking about is pictured here:

http://www.hummzinger.com

I have one, and if you put the nipples on the inside, bats can't get their tongues in. I can verify this, for once I lost one of the nipples down the sink and didn't bother to replace it. The feeder was immediately emptied overnight, even though three out of four nipples were still in place. Bats are clever creatures. Once I replaced the nipple, the feeder remained as full next morning as it was the evening before. The feeder comes with extra nipples just in case you lose some. Try it, you'll like it. I am not receiving any remuneration for this endorsement

Best wishes,

Henry Laxen

[Glyn]

I live out in the country and have 3 Hummzingers, I have to refill them 3 times a day !!!!!! We have never had any problem with bats. I ordered my Hummzingers through Amazon, if you are going to order through Amazon do not forget to order the Nectar Guard Tips which come separately there are 12 in a packet. They are very small and clear if you drop one on the floor you will probably never find it especially on a white or cream floor. No bees or wasps can get into the feeder at all.