Bees Swarming

I've had hummer feeders for years and once in a great while a bee will check it out but otherwise no bees. Saturday I cleaned the feeder and re-filled it. Whommp! Bees all *over* it -- they've drained it and even though it's empty there are a couple bees still lurking around just in case more sugar water shows up. The bees don't bother me nor am I afraid of them, actually feel quite blessed by their presence. From what I can see, none of my neighbors who have feeders up are experiencing bee swarms. What I'm wondering about is: why? Does this portend a really cold winter? Or ??? TIA! jo/nm

Are there still fresh flowers and nectar available in your area for the bees to harvest?
Are your neighbors feeders of the same type as yours and are they full?
The bees may not have built up enough honey stores to last the winter if there was a shortage of blooms due to drought or other weather conditions. They could be seeking out additional sources of nectar to beef up their supplies. It could also signal a longer and cold winter and they are getting prepared.

What are your squirrels doing?

There are probably quite a few flowers in Albuquerque, but maybe not ones with great nectar. Bees need sugar to keep going if they can't get enough from surrounding flowers. Bee keepers feed sugar to their bees in winter or move them by semi-truck to better bee pasture, but in summer they forage for themselves.
I suppose these could just be lazy bees. Maybe they got tired of being "busy bees". Actually, I have often noticed bees being attracted to sugary food outdoors.

If the bees had been attracted to the hummingbird feeder throughout the summer, I would agree with the lazy bee theory. It sounds as though this is a recent change int their activity. I'm guessing it may be triggered by the shorter daylight hours and cooler temperatures.

I agree, I don't think it's lazy-bee, they've flown around and checked it out now and again but *nothing* like this -- I also agree it's the drought followed by a *lot* of rain which means not many flowers and I like the idea about the early/hard winter, that would also help explain it. I put a small plastic container with sugar in it and a couple of the yellow "flowers" from the hummer feeder in the morning glory box where's it's nice and stable. So far, no action. They've flown over, around, back over, passed but not gone in -- despite my arm signals and voice commands, LOL!

Even if it is not a colder winter than normal, I think it is coming earlier and will be more drawn out than "normal". Our squirrels' fur will turns reddish for fall. This year, their fur when red in mid August, which was a lot earlier than usual. Last year we had early cold followed by periods of unseasonable warm, then another freeze. The fruit trees really took a beating. The bees on the coast took a beating too, because the trees would bloom and then the blossoms would be frozen off. Perhaps the bees can sense this.

Just to follow-up: around noon yesterday, I put out a dish of water and sugar with a couple yellow flowers from the hummer feeder for visual aid -- it took longer than I would have liked for the bees to find the sugar water but find it but by 5ish they had. Don't know which I enjoy more -- the chorus line of drinkers or the waddle-fly they do when they take off! LOL!

Okay, next year, to make sure that they find my veggie flowers, I'll put a hummingbird feeder right smack in the middle of my garden.

I find that hummingbirds really love my tomato blossoms. They often visit them, though you never hear of tomatoes as hummingbird attractors. If you want it, I have some anise hyssop which is very popular with bees, and hummers. I can mail it, or even meet you to exchange it the next time I come to Albuquerque. D-mail me, jio1 or anyone else who wants it. I can also gather seed if anyone wants it. It has a heavenly licorice aroma when leaves are crushed and can be used for flavoring/herbal medicine. It is a vigorous grower, which means it can get out of hand. I do pull it up from time to time.

Should grow well in a container. Containers tend to keep things in bounds, if you prune it now and then. Sounds like mint, which I think is its family.