I have one of the feeders that you describe and as an avid amateur photographer I would like to upgrade two of the four feeder ports, then record the results via photo's.

you can email me at LazyPup@yahoo.com

Even though I have a PP 209 that I just got a few weeks ago, I would think that hummersteve would be a great person for you to speak to, so I am nominating Steve in case he is interested and does not sign on in time to be in the top 5, that is if he would even be interested. He uses the PP209's and he has so many hummingbirds that he has to refill the bottles everyday! He is very active in this forum.

Oh... just curious. When you say "we have developed" a Beta part for the feeder I assumed you were from Perky Pets. Are you from Perky Pets or some independent thinking company?

Hi, Lazypup! E-mail comin' at ya' to get your shipping address. I noticed your NE Ohio location. Our alpha test stations are on the westside of Cleveland and in Lima. Welcome aboard.

No, we're not affiliated with Perky Pets or any other feeder manufacturer. We're just contrary, independent thinker types.

Ed

Any details about the product that you care to share? Does it clip underneath like the Droll Yankee and Hummzinger guards? Have you determined that it is 100% safe for the hummers and does it not hinder the feeding of the hummer, or is that what you are trying to find out by using the member base here at gardenweb?

As Ken has already stated I have a good bit of hummer activity here as I have 2 pp209 feeders that have to be refilled after 2 days. The main culprit I seem to attract here are wasps. But I am extremely skeptical of your product doing anything close to what you say it might do. It sounds as if you are only replacing or covering the flat yellow flower port on many PP products. But it is not just at the port that wasps might get nectar. Sometimes a sloppy hummer will drip its drink or when it flicks its tongue the liquid will drip and run down to the lip of the feeder. As proof of this I have seen wasp underneath the lip obviously getting spilled nectar. After filling feeders I always wipe them down from any possible spilled mix because of the problem I experience here. If you are just replacing the yellow flower port you are not solving the problem. PP already has bee guards for the product which helps minutely. The only possible upgrade I can invision that would help would be to cover the entire base which could be a hindrence when it comes to cleaning. These are just my personal opinions especially since you offer very little insight about your product.

People, thank you for your interest and comments.

My father is a retired engineer in Ohio who loves hummingbirds. But, he was really annoyed at how many bees, wasps, and yellow jacket hornets stole his nectar and kept buzzing him and his feeder. Through a series of backyard experiments, he figured out how to keep these insects away from his feeder without deterring the hummers. He designed a replacement flower/feeding portal to keep the bees away and had some made. It works. The experience of friends and family on their feeders has been universally positive. IÂll try to post pictures of the "old" flower (PP-202) and the "bee-proof" flower later today so you can see what IÂm describing.

To the best of my knowledge and experience on our feeders, this portal is safe for the hummers and doesnÂt hinder their feeding in any way.

Steve, except for when the feeder is rocked back-and-forth by a critter or the wind, we havenÂt had problems with nectar spills. I would expect our re-designed flower would have minimal impact on spills. You would seem to be an ideal beta-tester for this reason. You could run side-by-side tests with your PP-209s. IÂll send you six replacement flowers to use on one feeder and you could leave the original flowers in the other feeder. You can tell us how the two compare. YouÂd pop the original flowers out of the feeder base and pop in the replacement flowers.

The folks at Droll Yankee that make Perky Pet TM feeders seem to have recognized the bee problem. TheyÂve developed a new feeding portal that looks like a cylindrical cage. IÂve heard of insects getting their heads stuck in the cage openings and that bars of the cage can break off and allow the bees in anyway. As youÂll be able to see, our design avoids both problems. Note that our flowers are not interchangeable with the PP cage-design. The cage feeding portal plugs into a larger diameter hole in the feeder than their flat flower design, so youÂd have to use some design to shrink the hole in the feeder base.

I invite you to try this design. I invite you to offer whatever criticism or suggestions for improvement, based on your experience, on this forum.

Ed

Hi Ed,

Nice last post! I am looking forward to hearing the results of the forum readers, which I am willing to bet will be quite positive! As I mentioned, I have a new 209 and since I am new to hummingbirds I have only a few hummers with no problem with bees so far. If in the future I do end up with a bee problem I look forward to any alternatives.

Ken

OK, folks. My attempts at posting pictures of our flowers have failed! Will somebody kindly point me to directions on how to do so?

Ed

One way is to open a free account at photobucket. Upload the photos there. Once the photos are there you will see a few links for sharing photos. Just copy and paste the html code of the photo(s) in the body of your post here.

Ed,

I was not in the test on "the other forum", Can you add me to the Beta list for this forum? I would be happy to give you my experience. I have their "Our Best" feeder that has 5 ports I believe. Thanks

Pam

Pam, thanks for your note. I'll send you an email later today. If you'll reply to it and include your shipping address, I'll have a set of six bee-proof flowers in the mail pronto. You should get them early next week.

Ed

Any comments or first impressions from our beta-testers?

Ed

Ed,

My hummers took to the addition of the new feeding portals with No Problem whatsoever! Great news because the bees and wasps CAN NOT get inside far enough to get the nectar. After a few initial tries, I have not even seen a bee near that feeder and I have an explosive population of Bumble Bees and Wasps. I give your design an "A" for improvement OVER the yellow flower petals that came with my feeder.

The only improvement I could even suggest would be if you could get them to snap in tighter. They are not as sturdy as I would like, but honestly I'm not even sure if it makes any difference in their performance. My only worry would be durability. So far they have been installed for about 12 days.

Thanks again!! And say hello to your Dad!

Pam

Pam, thanks very much for your feedback and kind words. I'll pass the word along about improving the fit. Keep me posted on durability. My flowers are finishing their second season and seem to be holding up well.

Please keep the info coming!

Ed