Oakland Estates Neighborhood Association

I have an update on what attracts the bees and yellow jackets to some feeders. It's the yellow plastic flowers. an article I read this morning at hummingbirds.net is very helpful. It talks about painting the flowers red prior to filling and hanging the feeder(s). It also has recommendations about what type of nectar should be used. The author recommends 1 part of ordinary white sugar to 4 parts of plain tap water. He also strongly suggests to not use red commercial nectar. On this web-site it has recommendations on keeping your feeder clean and fresh when the outside temp is 85 degrees or higher. The hotter the day is, the more we should clean and refresh the nectar. There is a solution to keep the mold and bacteria at bay when cleaning your feeder. It is 1 part non chlorine bleach to 4 parts of hot tap water, take apart the feeder and let the parts, including the bottle soak for about 10 minutes. When rinsing the parts of the feeder, you might use a bottle brush to remove any debris from the bottle and other parts. Have a fun and enjoyable time in the yard.

thanx's for the info Larry. They are fun to watch !