Mud dobbers and hummingbird feeders....?

Question

I have hummingbird feeders on my back porch and the mud dobbers keep filling up the holes in it. How can I stop this from happening? Any ideas beside just using a toothpick and scraping out the mud everyday?? Thanks!!

Answer 1

The daubers are after the nectar. Mud daubers will build a nest, shove a paralyzed insect into it, lay eggs, and close the nest. I wonder if they are trying to use your feeder as a food source for their next crop of babies! (Thank you for not suggesting that you kill the daubers; they are nature's insect controllers.)

There are several articles regarding how to control hummingbird feeders (including daubers, which are a type of wasp). Read two of them at
http://www.free-articles-zone.com/print.php?id=35545
http://www.phancypages.com/newsletter/ZNewsletter3987.htm

Answer 2

That's odd behavior for a mud-dobber. Usually they use that mud to house their babies and the food their babies will eat. Aside from trying to kill them which is a bad idea because they are super beneficial, I would just continue to clean it out. I know it's a pain. Can you put the feeder in a different location? Maybe someplace they don't frequent? I'm sorry, I wish I could have been more helpful.