I’ve been trying to look after the local bird populations with a couple of birdfeeders.
The one with birdseed is always popular, and mostly appears swarming with fat and very wasteful sparrows. There is also one with special (expensive) sugar water for the nectar feeders. This is mostly aimed at tuis, but we also get rowdy and destructive kakas, like badly behaved guests at a party. Recently, however, someone else has started turning up to utilize the resource – bees. At first I was happy to think I was helping them out – the poor old bees are having a tough time worldwide with varroa mites, insecticide, habitat destruction, and colony collapse disorder. But then today I was cleaning the feeder out and discovered this inside:
So, yes, now I am a murderer – part of the problem and not the solution. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop the slaughter?