Feeding wild birds with backyard feeders can provide a lot of entertainment and support migratory and overwintering birds when they need food most. But while it’s tempting to leave bird feeders up year-round, this is usually not necessary and it can potentially attract unwanted pests to your yard and cause other issues.

If you want to provide the most benefits to hummingbirds, songbirds, and other feathered friends, here’s exactly when to put out bird feeders, and when to put them away.

When Should Your Bird Feeder Go Back Outside?

Contrary to popular opinion, spring and summer should be the season that you move your bird feeders indoors. This might feel counter-intuitive since this is when you’re seeing the most birds out and about (and want to attract them to your home to watch), but it’s because feeders are supplemental to a bird’s regular diet.

Birds treat bird feeders as supplemental food sources—they mostly visit feeders during fall and spring migration, and in winter when other foods are scarce. During the warmer months, birds primarily feed on insects, berries, seeds, and nuts in the wild and are less reliant on feeders at this time.

Planting native fruit- and seed-bearing plants in your garden is the best way to support wild birds year-round, though keeping feeders brimming with seeds, nuts, and mealworms from fall to spring can help, too.

“I start feeding birds black oil sunflower seeds in early September when cold weather begins to affect insects, and plants are going dormant,” explains Zachary Holderby, a wildlife ecologist and bird naturalist with the Downeast Chapter of Maine Audubon. “And I usually end seed feeding in late April when migratory birds start coming back.”

This general timeline works well in areas with snowy winters, but it can vary slightly depending on where you live and the types of birds you’d like to attract; for example, hummingbird feeders should actually be taken inside in the late fall. The important thing is to make sure birds feeders are out during winter and when migratory species are expected to arrive in your area.

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The Most Common Bird Feeder Mistake

If you love watching backyard birds, you may want to leave your feeders up year-round to attract as many birds as possible. But continuing to feed birds during the spring and summer nesting season has a few major drawbacks that can affect your garden and the wild birds you want to attract.

About 96% of birds rely on spiders and insects to feed their young, and birdseed just doesn’t provide the nutrients that nestlings need.

“Studies have shown that during the nesting season, birds that feed their chicks birdseed from the feeder are less robust than birds that take advantage of the insect larvae that’s abundant during this time,” says Holderby.

Beyond that, continuing to feed birds in warm weather can also increase the spread of bird diseases and attract unwanted visitors, like squirrels or bears, that may damage bird feeders and your property.

To avoid these issues, it’s best to put bird feeders away when the snow melts and flower buds start to open. If your garden is planted with wild foods, like raspberries or seed-bearing sunflowers and black-eyed Susan, visiting birds should still be able to find plenty to eat.

How to Keep Other Animals Out of a Bird Feeder

Squirrels, bears, and other larger animals are often drawn in by birdseed and nectar. Luckily, there are few ways to deter these visitors while ensuring your feeders are available when birds need them.

Put Feeders Away in Warm Weather

Birds mostly rely on feeders from fall through spring, and they’re less likely to visit feeders in summer. Bears, on the other hand, generally hibernate in winter and commonly seek out feeders when they wake up hungry in spring.

According to the Fish and Game Department, stowing bird feeders away by April 1st can protect your feeders from visiting bears. Feeders can be placed back outside in late fall when bears are less active.

Install Feeders in the Right Spot

Like bears, raccoons, chipmunks, squirrels, skunks, and opossums also have a taste for birdseed and nectar. However, these critters can be deterred by positioning feeders at least six feet above the ground and at least 10 feet away from buildings, trees, and other climbable structures.

If predatory birds are lingering near your feeders in the hopes of snagging an easy meal, move your feeders under an overhanging roof or within 20 feet of sheltering shrubs, trees, or brush piles.

“It’s good to have cover near feeders for birds to hide in if a hawk comes through,” Holderby says.

Add Baffles

Squirrels and chipmunks are excellent jumpers and they can sometimes drop onto feeders from overhanging trees or climb up feeder poles on the hunt for tasty seeds. But you can keep these furry visitors at bay by adding baffles below or above your feeders.

If you want to make feeders even less attractive to non-bird wildlife, install feeders on top of tall metal poles that animals can’t easily climb. And remember to regularly clean up scattered seed, too.