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Category: Hummingbirds

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Published on 2 Comments on Hummingbird predation as an IPM tactic against SWD in raspberry

On Thursday, March 10, 2022, from 11:30 to 12:30, I will present our work on using hummingbird feeders to attract Ruby-throated Hummingbirds into raspberry plantings as an aid in managing SWD. This seminar will be part of the NYS IPM Program's Seminar Series. To learn more about the NYS IPM Seminar series and upcoming talks, visit nysipm.cornell.edu/resources/nysipm-seminars/.

My seminar will be presented via zoom, so you can join and watch from the comfort of your home office or wherever you are using this zoom link:

cornell.zoom.us/j/97142846187?pwd=c0hNbldOR3ZXbFF0eVgzc2YybUMzUT09 https://cornell.zoom.us/j/97142846187?pwd=c0hNbldOR3ZXbFF0eVgzc2YybUMzUT09

Here is a summary of our work on hummingbirds, which I will present on March 10, 2022 at 11:30 to 12:30.

Hummingbirds require arthropods in their diet and may consume 2000 small insects, including Drosophilids, per day when fledging young. In New York State, we investigated the use of feeders to attract Ruby-throated Hummingbirds into raspberry fields to encourage predation of spotted-wing Drosophila (SWD) with the goal of reducing fly populations and fruit infestation. Baited traps were used to assess fly populations and salt flotation was used to assess fruit infestation. Over four years (2015-2018), 81% of 266 hourly observations of hummingbird behavior found the birds were occupying the raspberry planting when utilizing the feeders, supporting opportunities for predation on SWD flies. In 16 out of 18 weeks in 2017 and 2018, the number of SWD found in fruit were reduced in the half of the field with 62 feeders/hectare (25/A), compared to the half without feeders. We found a significant season-long reduction of 27% in average fruit infestation in 2017, a year with high populations of SWD. Trap catch was lower in the feeder half of the field in 15 of 25 weeks in 2016-2018. In two 0.035 ha (0.09 A) commercial raspberry fields (2020), in the one with 151 feeders/hectare (54/A) significant reductions in trap catch were found in most weeks during the fruiting season compared to the field without feeders. No Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were observed in the commercial field without feeders. Hummingbirds may protect fruit against SWD when encouraged with feeders to visit and occupy raspberry plantings.  Encouraging hummingbirds in raspberry fields with feeders has the potential for contributing to an SWD IPM program and reducing the reliance on chemical management.

A Ruby-throated Hummingbird.
Hummingbirds eat lots of small insects, including aphids and fruit flies to supplement their nectar-rich diet, up to 2000 per day!

Want to learn more about how to use hummingbird feeders in your raspberry plantings? Contact Juliet Carroll, jec3@cornell.edu, Fruit IPM Coordinator, NYS IPM Program, Cornell University. Collaborators on this project included: Percival M. Marshall, NYS IPM Program, Nicole E. Mattoon, NYS IPM Program, Courtney A. Weber, Horticulture, and Greg M. Loeb, Entomology.

Published on Leave a comment on Plants for ruby-throated hummingbirds in the Northeast

There are many plants that ruby-throated hummingbirds will source nectar from. These tiny birds are curious and will explore new sources of nectar, especially in their first year. Banding studies have shown they return each year to the same place they fledged, especially if the area is rich in nectar-producing flowers (or the feeders you put out) to sustain their high rate of metabolism — highest of any warm-blooded animal — and the small insects they must eat.

Photo of butterflyweed flowers, coutesy of NYS IPM Program Flickr gallery.
Butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa

They forage on at least 31 plant species in 21 genera in 18 families. In NY, their nesting distribution has been correlated with bee balm, Monarda didyma. Columbine, Aquilegia canadensis, and common jewelweed, Impatiens capensis are often also noted as favored food plants.

Below, I'm reprinting a list of plants you might consider growing or encouraging in your yard or around your berry plantings to favor ruby-throated hummingbirds. This list is taken from Hummingbirds: Jewels in Flight, 1992, by Connie Toops, Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN. I loved the way the list is organized on page 115.

Annuals

  • snapdragon, Antirrhinum majus
  • foxglove, Digitalis purpurea
  • gladiolus, Gladiolus hybrids
  • impatiens, Impatiens hybrids
  • scarlet sage, Slavia splendens
  • nasturtium, Tropaeolum majus

Perennials

  • columbine, Aquilegia canadensis
  • butterflyweed, Asclepias tuberosa
  • delphinium 'King Arthur', Delphinium hybridum
  • bleeding ehart, Dicentra eximia
  • coral bells, Heuchera sanguinea
  • jewelweed, Impatiens capensis
  • cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis
  • bee-balm, Monarda didyma
  • wild sweet William,  Phlox maculata

Vines

  • morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea
  • trumpet honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens
  • scarlet runner bean, Phaseolus coccinea

Shrubs

  • buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis
  • flowering quince, Chaenomeles japonica
  • autumn olive, Elaeagnus umbellata
  • lilac, Syringa vulgaris
  • cardinal shrub, Weigela florida

Trees

  • redbud, Cercis canadensis
  • hawthorn, Craetaegus spp. hybrids
  • tulip tree, Liriodendron tulipifera

When choosing varieties, select those that are red or in shades of red, which ruby-throats prefer. Happy growing!

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