Hummingbird feeders banned at local apartment building

You wouldn’t expect wildfires, hummingbirds and stinging insects to have anything in common but the three have a cause and effect relationship this summer.

Some believe wildfires in Colorado this season have forced hummingbirds out of their normal areas and into Colorado Springs.

As a result, the increase in hummingbirds in Colorado Springs has led more people to use hummingbird feeders. That, in turn, has apparently produced more bees, wasps, hornets and yellowjackets that are attracted to the nectar in the feeders.

“Never this many,” said Jeff Larsen, owner of Complete Pest Control. “Not in the past ten years. It’s been really bad this year, just calls nonstop. People getting stung, trying to spray it with cans from the store.”

Larsen admits that an increase in feeders may be one of several factors.

“There’s a lot of speculation on that,” he said. “Not enough predators, no real competition for them, fewer bees and more wasps this year — various things I hear around town.”

The greater risk of being stung convinced the Regency Tower Apartments in southwest Colorado Springs to ban the use of hummingbird feeders until further notice.

“I wasn’t happy about it because I love the birds so much,” said Margaret Williams, a tenant. “I’ve had more hummingbirds this year than I’ve ever seen, and it’s just fun and delightful to see them. But after it was explained to me, I understood the necessity of it.”

Larsen said this is the second straight year that he has seen more stinging insects.

“The weather could be a factor also,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of rain the past two years.”