Our Favorite Unique Hummingbird Feeders + An Easy 2-Ingredient Nectar Recipe | MomsWhoSave.com (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for homemade hummingbird nectar? ›

Directions for making safe hummingbird food:

Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved. Do not add red dye.

While boiling the water will help slow the fermentation of the nectar initially, the nectar in hummingbird feeders is contaminated as soon as it is sipped by a bird. Therefore, it is not necessary to boil the nectar once the sugar has been dissolved. If you use extra fine sugar, no boiling or heating may be needed.

During hot, dry weather, when hummingbirds risk dehydration, it's best to make your mixture no stronger than a quarter cup of sugar per cup of water.

The hummers will prefer homemade nectar to store-bought any day. Additives like flavorings, vitamins, and other supplements touted by commercial products aren't necessary for hummingbirds' health, but they are touted as a means of attracting more birds.

However, some writers suggest feeding hummingbirds a 3:1 or stronger mixture in cold weather when the nectar flow of many flowers decreases. That being said, I recommend that you stick with a 4:1 mixture.

We always do boil the water to neutralize some impurities that might be in the water or sugar. Besides, sugar dissolves more easily in hot water. But as soon as the feeder is outdoors, contaminants will get into the water anyway, brought by hummingbirds, insects or just a breeze.

In areas where the nighttime temperatures only dip slightly below freezing your hummingbird nectar may not freeze as the sugar solution has a lower freezing point than plain water. However, it's better not to have your hummingbirds drink very cold nectar; this can actually cold-stun them.

How often should Hummingbird Feeder Nectar be changed? If the weather is cooler, 60 degrees, then leaving the nectar for two or three days is acceptable. However, on a 90? + day, the possibility of spoilage would require that you change the nectar after one day.

At the edge of your porch (but not near a smoky barbecue). Near an eastward facing garden bench (to avoid the harsh afternoon sun in your eyes). Close, but not too close, to a window (Hummingbirds can hurt themselves in a collision)

How often do you change the water in a hummingbird? ›

The Golden Rule: Every 2 to 4 Days!

Believe it or not, the nectar in your hummingbird feeders should ideally be changed every 2 to 4 days with warmer or humid climates being closer to every 1-2 days. You might ask, "Why such regularity, Pop's?" It's all about ensuring freshness.

mix one part white sugar to four parts water. allow mixture to cool before filling feeder. never use honey, sweeteners, molasses, brown or raw sugar. don't add red food colouring or other products.

White granulated cane sugar the #1 preferred for use in hummingbird feeders. White granulated sugar is the closest we can come to the natural nectar in flowers. Spring water is preferred, but most tap water is acceptable.

Many birders advocate for 1:2 or 1:1 as "high octane fuel" to replenish a hummer's energy reserves during migration, but until there's more robust information to prove that too much sugar without enough water won't cause problems for hummers, it's best to err on the side of caution.

Perches that are out in the open and offer good fields of view will be most attractive to protective hummingbirds. Nectar can quickly spoil on hot summer days, and if your nectar has gone cloudy or shows a filmy substance or black specks inside the feeder, it is time for a thorough cleaning.

Hummingbird Sugar Water Ratio and Recipe

Here's the ratio: Combine four parts hot water to one part sugar. (Do not use honey, brown sugar or artificial sweeteners in your hummingbird mixture). Mix it up until the sugar is completely dissolved.

It is pure carbohydrate. They also need protein from tiny insects. So it's OK to offer them sugar water from feeders in your garden - because small insects are there for them to round out their diet with. But in captivity, hummingbirds starve quickly if fed only sugar water.

You can use tap water for your DIY hummingbird nectar, but spring water is best because it doesn't contain potentially harmful contaminants and the chemicals used to treat water for drinking. Distilled water is also not ideal because it does not contain healthy minerals.