Hummingbird Feeder Mixture
Want to know a
quick, easy, inexpensive way to make your own hummingbird feeder mixture?
OK, let’s start with two easy to finding ingredients that every household
has, white granulated table sugar and tap water is all you need. You’ve got
them both right...... I knew you would.
Hummingbird feeder mixture instructions:
That was easy
enough right? Now to see how quick it is to make your own hummingbird feeder
mixture.
Stir one part sugar
into four parts water and boil for two minutes. That’s all, we’re finished.
I told you it was quick and easy! Let it cool then you can add it to your
hummingbird feeder.
Don’t add anything
else to the hummingbird feeder mixture, just white granulated table sugar and water. Not brown sugar, no honey,
no sugar substitutes and no red food coloring.
Honey will ferment
too quick and ruin your hummingbird feeder mixture. Sugar substitutes have no
calories and thus will provide no energy boost for the hummingbirds. And the
controversy surrounding whether or not the dye in red food coloring is
harmful to hummingbirds makes it better to just not use red hummingbird
nectar at all. Actually read nectar isn’t necessary because the red on your
hummingbird feeders is enough red to attract hummingbirds.
Boiling the nectar
for about two minutes is long enough to release any chlorine that might be
in your water and to kill any impurities that might be in the sugar and
cause it to ferment sooner and have to be change sooner.
For parts water to
one part sugar will make a 20% sugar nectar solution which is just what
flower nectar, that hummingbirds normally feed on contains. Boiling any
longer and you will boil way more water and have a sweeter nectar. There’s
no need to use a sweeter nectar as it will also attract the bees and wasps
more readily.
Feeder maintenance
is almost as simple as making your own nectar is. Of all you have to do is
change your hummingbird feeder mixture every so often and rinse out
your feeder with hot water each time
you change it.
Below is a chart
that shows how many days your hummingbird feeder mixture will stay fresh according to the
outside temperature.
Changing your hummingbird
feeder mixture temperature guide:
High
temperatures............Change nectar after
71-75.................................6 days
76-80.................................5 days
81-84.................................4 days
85-88.................................3 days
89-92.................................2 days
93+....................................change daily
Follow these
guidelines and rinse out your feeder with hot water each time you change the
nectar and you won’t have much trouble.
Some people will
also rinse their feeder out every week or so with a 10% white vinegar and
water solution to help clean it.
If your hummingbird
hummingbird feeder mixture goes too long without being changed, the nectar will ferment and mold
will grow in it. Then you will have to soak your whole feeder in a bleach
water solution for an hour, to kill the mold and sterilize your feeder.
Mix 1/4 cup bleach
into one gallon of water and soak your feeder. After about an hour, remove
your feeder and rinse it out thoroughly with running water several times to
remove all traces of the bleach, before filling with fresh nectar.
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You will need some
hummingbirds feeder brushes to help remove the mold from all the crooks and
crannies of the feeder. To make feeder cleaning quicker and easier, get a
feeder that’s easy to take apart and allows easy access to all the internal
areas of the feeder. |
Here is a feeder
that’s easy to clean and has a lot of other features that make feeding
hummingbirds a lot more enjoyable.
Now that your
hummingbird feeder mixture is
done, you will need to get a feeder that is easy to take apart and clean, and
one that will also protect your
hummingbird feeder mixture from bees ants and
wasps.
My favorite choice of hummingbird feeders to use
with the homemade hummingbird nectar recipe is 
Aspects
12oz Hummzinger Ultra With Nectar Guard
It's only
$28.18 and has several
features that makes it well worth the price.
The
HummZinger has
patented Nectar guard tips which are flexible membranes attached to the feed
ports that prohibit entry from flying insects, but allow Hummingbirds to feed as
usual. The HummZinger also has a built in ant moat that will stop crawling
insects from getting to the nectar. It also has raised flower ports that divert
rain.
This mid-size nectar feeder has a 12 oz. capacity
and can be hung or post mounted with hardware provided. It has four feeding
ports for hummingbirds and is made of unbreakable polycarbonate. Easy to clean.
For ease of cleaning and protection from bees,
wasps and ants, this feeder can't be beat.
If you already have a
hummingbird feeder, and you want to protect it from ants and other crawling
insects, the ant moat below will do the job.
Product Description
The first and still the best to protect your
Hummingbird and Oriole feeder from ants and other crawling insects. Insert
between hanger and feeder and fill with water, providing a barrier to crawling
pests. Red color to attract hummingbirds.
Have fun making your own hummingbird nectar and enjoy your birds. I hope you
enjoyed this article on hummingbird feeder mixture.
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