10 Best Bee-Proof Hummingbird Feeders in 2024 — Reviews & Top Picks

Last Updated on Jan 03 2024

One of the best parts about spring is when temperatures warm up enough for hummingbirds to return to your yard. Of course, that also means that you have to keep the hummingbird feeders filled with sweet sugary nectar in order for them to stay. Unfortunately, hummingbirds are not the only creatures that are attracted to nectar.

Hummingbird feeders are also prone to attracting bees that also try to get to the nectar. The bees are just trying to drink as well, and although they don’t really harm the birds, they can discourage them from coming to the feeder. Bee-proof hummingbird feeders are the answer, and we’ve compiled a list of the best ones, complete with reviews so that you can ensure that the only thing coming to your feeders are hummingbirds.

A Glance at Our Winners in 2024

	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Sewanta Hummingbird Feeder	Easy to clean Unique port design You get two for an affordable price	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Perky-Pet Red Glass Hummingbird Feeder	Affordable Easy to clean Built-in ant moat	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		HL Hyperlink Hummingbird Feeder	Beautiful glass bottle Bee-proof, ant-proof, and leak-proof Comes with a brush to easily clean the ports	CHECK PRICE
		JEZWX Hummingbird Feeder	Narrow feeding holes Easy to clean and refill Natural leak-proof design	CHECK PRICE
		Musjos Hummingbird Feeder with Ant Moat	30 feeding ports The faceted design reflects light Small holes and leak-proof design keep bees and wasps out	CHECK PRICE

The 10 Best Bee-Proof Hummingbird Feeders

1. Sewanta Hummingbird Feeder (Set of 2) – Best Overall

The best overall bee-proof hummingbird feeder is this set of two Sewanta hummingbird feeders. Not only do you get two feeders for an affordable price, but having two allows you to accommodate even more hummingbirds at one time. These are a great choice if you have a large hummingbird population in your yard, as each feeder can accommodate up to eight birds.

What sets this bee-proof hummingbird feeder apart from others is the shape of the ports. While other hummingbird feeders have round ports or utilize bee guards, this feeder has slanted ports that are designed to only fit a hummingbird’s beak. It’s also ant-proof and leak-proof, and the base comes apart for easy cleaning. The only downside is that if you do have a lot of hummingbirds that visit the feeder, you’ll have to refill it more often since it only holds 16 ounces of nectar.

2. Perky-Pet Red Glass Hummingbird Feeder – Best Value

We think that the Perky-Pet Red Glass Hummingbird Feeder is the best bee-proof hummingbird feeder for the money. The feeding ports have bee guards that help to keep bees away, but this feeder also has a built-in ant moat to keep ants away as well. The bottle part of the feeder is made of glass that is red in color to make it more attractive to the hummingbirds. The bottom part of the feeder where the birds perch is made from plastic.

Not only is this feeder affordable, but it is also easy to clean as the whole thing comes apart, even the feeding ports. It can hold eight ounces of nectar and can accommodate up to four birds at once, so it’s great if you have a small hummingbird population at your home. But if you have a large population the smaller size of this feeder could be a downside. You may have to buy multiples in order to accommodate a lot of birds at one time.

3. HL Hyperlink Hummingbird Feeder – Premium Choice

The HL Hyperlink Hummingbird Feeder is our premium choice because it is pricey, but it is made with glass and metal to ensure that it is sturdy and high-quality. The glass is also hand-blown and it has a unique and beautiful design as a result. In addition to being bee-proof, it also has an ant moat at the top to help keep ants away. A plastic ring helps to better seal the base onto the glass bottle in order to prevent leaks.

This feeder has four feeding ports to accommodate up to four hummingbirds at one time, and it can hold 30 ounces of nectar so that you don’t have to refill it as often. The base is detachable, but it also comes with a brush to help you clean the feeding ports more thoroughly. The only downside to this feeder is that it’s not the most budget-friendly.

4. JEZWX Hummingbird Feeder

This design of this hummingbird feeder is a bit different from other hummingbird feeders. Instead of having a bottle that you fill and then flip upside down, this one has a reservoir that you fill that sits underneath the perch. The design is naturally leakproof, and it also allows the red cover to sit on top to attract more hummingbirds. It comes with a metal ant moat hook as well.

This feeder has five feeding ports, and the holes in each port are narrow enough that bees can’t get into them meaning that there’s no need for a bee guard that can sometimes make feeders difficult to clean. Speaking of cleaning, it also comes with a cleaning brush that easily fits inside the ports. It also has fill lines so that you don’t overfill it. The only downside is that due to the shape of the feeder, it may not hang straight. Many users say that they had to bend the hook a bit to get it to hang right.

5. Musjos Hummingbird Feeder with Ant Moat

This is another hummingbird feeder with a reservoir instead of a bottle. What we like about this one is that the feeding ports have a faceted design, which allows them to catch the sunlight, allowing them to reflect the red color easily and attract hummingbirds to the feeder. It also has 30 feeding ports which enable large populations of hummingbirds to feed on this feeder at once.

The holes on the feeding ports are also small enough to keep bees and wasps out, and it has a natural leak-proof design which helps to keep bees and wasps away as well. One downside to this feeder is that the ant moat is not at the top of the feeder, but in the base, so ants may still be able to crawl down the feeder some. Another downside is that it only holds 10 ounces of nectar. Assuming that you did have lots of hummingbirds visit this feeder, you’d be refilling it quite often.

6. Cuboid Hummingbird Feeder 2-in-1

This Cuboid Hummingbird Feeder has a unique 2-in-1 design that enables it to either be hung from a tree via a hook and chains or mounted to a window via suction cups. With that being said, it’s a good choice for people that live in an apartment and don’t really have a place to hang a feeder; just mount it to your window instead. It has five feeding ports with small, bee-proof holes and an ant moat surrounding the bowl that holds the nectar.

This feeder is also easy to fill simply by opening the lid and it comes with a brush so that it is easy to clean. One downside to this feeder is that with the ant moat being open and surrounding the entire feeder, it may attract mosquitos that lay their eggs in water. Users also say that the feeder mounts to the window very sturdily, but when hanging, it’s hard to get the chains the same length so that it hangs straight.

7. Pusega Plastic Hummingbird Feeder

If you decide to purchase this hummingbird feeder, not only do you get the large feeder with eight feeding ports, but you also get two feeders with one port each that can be mounted to a window or used as handheld feeders. The small feeders have red beads on them that are designed to catch the light and attract hummingbirds. The larger reservoir-style hummingbird feeder is naturally leakproof and the feeding ports are small enough to keep bees out.

It’s easy to refill by just removing the red cover. It also comes with two brushes for easy cleaning. It also has a small ant moat, but it may not be as effective at keeping ants away as other feeders. It also has a larger capacity than the other reservoir-style feeders on our list. However, it is more expensive as a result and it’s one of the more expensive feeders on this list.

8. Nature’s Rhythm Hummingbird Feeder

The Nature’s Rhythm Hummingbird Feeder has a very simple design and is very affordable as well. The bottle is made from glass and the base is made from plastic. It has four feeding ports, each of which is equipped with bee guards. The flowers and bee guards can also be disassembled so that you can clean the feeder more easily.

One of the downsides of this feeder is that while it does have a built-in ant moat in the lid, it may not be effective at keeping ants out completely since the ant moats on similar feeders are separate and raised above the actual feeder itself. It’s also not completely leak-proof, so it may drip and attract ants and other insects to the area beneath the feeder.

9. Perky-Pet Planter Box Plastic Hummingbird Feeder (2 Pack)

The Perky-Pet Planter Box Hummingbird Feeders are designed to hang in flower beds and window boxes. With that being said, these are not the largest feeders and they are a bit pricey considering their size. They are only five inches long and hold about three ounces of nectar. But, you do get two for the price.

Each feeder has one port that is equipped with a bee guard in order to keep bees out since they are designed for areas in which bees would frequent as well. But, they do not have an ant moat at all. While the bee guard may help to keep larger ants out, smaller ones may still be able to access the nectar. They also aren’t leak-proof, and when you combine that with their small size, you may be refilling them quite often.

10. Sweet Feeders Geometric Window Hummingbird Feeder

We’ll start off by saying that the Sweet Feeders Geometric Window Hummingbird Feeder is not a good choice if you have lots of hummingbirds in your yard. But if you only have one or two, or live in an apartment, then this feeder is a great choice. It consists of two small bottles that only hold about 20 milliliters of nectar each, which is why it’s not good for lots of birds. But it also mounts to a window, so there’s no hanging required.

This feeder is bee-proof in that the holes are only small enough to fit a hummingbird’s beak. It’s also supposed to be leak-proof because of this. However, it doesn’t have an ant moat so you’ll have to find another way to keep ants away. This feeder is also pricey considering what it is. But it has a minimalistic and stylish design that is functional as well.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Select the Best Bee-Proof Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbird feeders come in different sizes, shapes, capacities, and designs. When purchasing a hummingbird feeder, there are a couple of things that you need to consider. We’re going to break some of those things down in more detail in this Buyer’s Guide so that you can have a better idea of which feeder to choose.

Number of Hummingbirds

One of the first things to consider is how many hummingbirds you have in your yard. If you’ve had a hummingbird feeder before and are just looking at getting a new one, then you may already know how many hummingbirds you generally have in your yard at peak times. But if you’re new to an area or have never had a hummingbird feeder before, you may wish to purchase a cheap one just to test it out and see how many birds visit it.

If you don’t have a lot of birds, you can get away with a smaller feeder with a lower capacity as far as how much nectar it holds. You may only need a feeder with four feeding ports on it. But if you have a lot of hummingbirds, then you’ll need multiple feeders or a larger one, depending on the behaviors of the hummingbirds that you have.

Territorial Behaviors

The reason for having multiple feeders is that hummingbirds, particularly male ones, can be territorial. This can make them aggressive if they have to compete for food. Even if one feeder is large enough for eight hummingbirds to feed off of at the same time, a male may still chase them away even if there is plenty of room for him as well.

With that being said, if you don’t have an aggressive, “bully” hummingbird, then you can use one larger feeder that can accommodate multiple birds. But if you do have a bully bird, then you’ll want to have several smaller feeders that are spread apart so that the birds don’t have to compete for food as much.

Feeder Capacity

The capacity of the hummingbird feeder is important not only for how many birds you have, it also determines how often you’ll have to refill it. Even if you have hummingbirds that can coexist peacefully on one feeder, you’ll have to refill a smaller feeder more frequently than you would a larger one.

The nectar in hummingbird feeders should be changed out every two days to once per week, depending on the season, anyway. But if you have a feeder that only holds eight ounces and you have lots of hummingbirds, you may be refilling it more often than what is really necessary.

Feeder Style

Another thing to consider is the style of the feeder. Hummingbird feeders usually come in two styles. They either have a bottle or they have a reservoir. Which one you choose is really your preference, but the reservoir-style feeders are generally easier to clean and refill. They also don’t tend to leak because the nectar isn’t inverted, although many bottle-style feeders are made to be leak-proof.

If you have mobility issues, you may also want to choose a feeder that can be mounted to a window instead of hanging one from your porch or a tree. Window-mounted feeders will be easier to change out because you don’t necessarily have to take them down to refill or clean them.

Ant Moat

Although this article was about bee-proof hummingbird feeders, we also mentioned that many of them are ant-proof as well. Many feeders have an “ant moat,” which is essentially a reservoir somewhere on the feeder that is designed to hold water. Ants can’t pass through the water to get to the nectar and many feeders with this feature are effective at keeping ants out.

But not all of them have an ant moat, and for those that do, the size and location of the ant moat are different for each one. With that being said, they may not all have the same effectiveness when it comes to keeping ants out. But the bottom line is that if you’re worried about ants, any feeder with an ant moat will be better than one without.

Conclusion

We hope these reviews were helpful for choosing a hummingbird feeder that will also keep bees out. Some feeders have bee guards, while others just have the feeding holes designed in such a way that bees can’t fit through them. For the best bee-proof hummingbird feeder, we like the Sewanta Hummingbird Feeder. It comes in a set of two, and the holes are slanted instead of round so that only a hummingbird’s beak can fit through. For the best bee-proof hummingbird feeder for the money, we like the Perky-Pet Red Glass Hummingbird Feeder because it has bee guards, is easy to clean, and is budget-friendly as well.

You may also want to read:

• How Often to Change a Hummingbird Feeder?
• 10 Best Bird Feeder Cameras
• 9 Best Bird Feeder Poles
• 10 Best Window Bird Feeders

Featured Image Credit: Piqsels