homemade hummingbird nectar for a hummingbird feeder

#HOMEMADE HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR FOR A HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER HOW TO#

And any little bit of red color will draw hummingbirds, Bryerton said. 'They don't need it.'Ĭommercial hummingbird food is often red, because the red color helps attract the birds, but that's also the reason hummingbird feeders are usually red. 'It can't be a good thing,' Bryerton said. The red dye just adds to what the birds have to process, and even though it may be benign, it isn't necessary. Because hummingbirds have to eat so frequently, their bodies process a lot of material from their diet very quickly. Whether to add red dye to the sugar water has become somewhat controversial, Bryerton said, but it's not necessary.

#HOMEMADE HUMMINGBIRD NECTAR FOR A HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER HOW TO#

RELATED READING: HOW TO ATTRACT HUMMINGBIRDS TO YOUR YARD Allow it to cool before adding it to your feeder.Īlways use sugar to sweeten the nectar, never honey, which can allow the growth of bacteria and fungi. You can make larger or smaller batches, sticking with the ratio of 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. To make the nectar, simply bring 1 cup of water to a boil and then add 1/4 cup of sugar, mixing it until the sugar is completely dissolved, the Audubon Society advises. Don't try to make it different or better.' 'You're mimicking the nectar they get from flowers,' Bryerton said of homemade hummingbird food. 'Stick to what they are getting in the wild.

Sugar water is close to what the birds eat when they visit flowers for nectar, said Bob Bryerton, an interpretive naturalist at the Forest Preserve District's Plum Creek Nature Center, where hummingbirds are regular visitors in the spring and summer. All this hummingbird nectar recipe entails is two ingredients you surely already have on hand in your kitchen: water and sugar. You can aid their feeding frenzy by making your own nectar to put in feeders in your yard. The ruby-throated hummingbirds common in northern Illinois in late spring and summer weigh less than a nickel and can beat their wings an astonishing 53 times per second, according to the Cornell University Lab or Ornithology.Īll that activity requires a steady diet of nectar and insects, with hummingbirds feeding every 10 minutes to 15 minutes and making their way to between 1,000 and 2,000 flowers per day, the Audubon Society reports.

If you found this article helpful, then don’t forget to comment down below.Hummingbirds may be tiny, but they work up quite an appetite with all that fluttering and flapping of their wings. So always make sure you put up your feeder in a quiet and calm place so the pretty little hummingbirds do not get spooked and they can enjoy your homemade hummingbird nectar in peace. But while setting up my first set of feeders one of the mistakes I made was I put them in the corner of the garden where my dogs usually play around. While they snack on their favorite treat, maybe you can grab your favorite snack and just enjoy nature. Watching these little beauties in your garden can be a serene experience. Mix vinegar with two parts of water and soak your feeder for a couple of hours and your feeder is disinfected. But never use soap to clean your feeder as the chemicals of the soap can leave behind residues which can alter the taste of your nectar or worse your little friends could react to them.Īlways use only hot water to clean your hummingbird feeder and if you want a deeper clean just use vinegar. Why are the ingredients very specific?Ĭleaning your feeder regularly is very important or you will see mold growing in your feeder which can harm your little friends. And just like that, you made hummingbird nectar with just two simple and “very specific” ingredients. Well, you have to cool it down before filling up your feeders. Refined white sugar and a cup of boiling water, that’s it! Yeah just take 1/4th cup of refined white sugar and dissolve it into a cup of boiling water and it’s ready. You must be thinking how can you make their favorite treat at home after all they love nectar from flowers right? But you will be surprised to know you can make delicious hummingbird nectar right at home with just two simple ingredients. Talk about burning calories right! You will be amazed to know these tiny birds visit 2000 flowers every day to keep their energy up. I’m just kidding but to keep their momentum they can flap their wings up to 90 beats per second. They might appear small but hummingbirds follow a very strict exercise routine. And you need to have enough nectar for them. You need to fill them up with refreshing homemade Hummingbird nectar. But just hanging up feeders will not be enough. Do you still remember Spencer Pratt’s deck filled with hundreds of vibrant hummingbirds buzzing around the feeders? Now that is a sight no one can forget.

Homemade hummingbird nectar for a hummingbird feeder