Make Hummingbird Food

Make hummingbird food and they will come.

 That’s about how simple it is to attract hummingbirds to your backyard. Make hummingbird food using the simple formula in this article, put it in a red feeder, hang it where the hummingbirds can see it and if there are any hummingbirds in your area it won’t take you long to find out.

If you have what they like it won’t take them long to find it.

It reminds me of a time many years ago when I decided to plant a small hummingbird garden to see if I could attract some hummingbirds. I bought a honeysuckle vine to plant along a fence in the backyard. I was in a hurry to grow a garden, so I bought the biggest one I could find. The vine I found was about 4 feet tall and even had blooms on it. I just got home from the nursery and took the potted honeysuckle vine out of the car and set it on the ground in the backyard, then went inside to get something. I got back about 5 minutes later..... and like magic, there was already a hummingbird feeding on the blooms!

You can’t imagine how excited I was to see a hummingbird so soon. That was just the start of many hummingbird vines and many hummingbird plants that ended up residing in my backyard.

So make hummingbird food and put up a feeder and you too will enjoy that magical moment when for the first time a hummingbird appears, seemingly out of nowhere.

Make hummingbird food recipe:

1. Put 4 parts water and 1 part sugar (white granulated table sugar) in a pan and bring to a boil. Stir the homemade hummingbird nectar until the sugar is dissolved. Boil for about 2 minutes.

2. Take from heat and let cool.

3. Fill feeder and store any leftover nectar in the refrigerator.

The 4 to 1 ratio will closely match the flower nectar that hummingbirds normally feed on. Boiling for 2 minutes is enough to release any chlorine from the water and kill any impurities that might be in the sugar. Boiling any longer will start to change the 4 to 1 ratio and make a sweeter nectar. The hummingbirds will like it but it will also become more attractive to bees and wasps. Any excess nectar can be stored for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator and used when you need it later.

Make hummingbird food and they will come ..... Keep the nectar fresh and your feeder clean and they will keep on coming.

To be sure that the hummingbird nectar stays fresh and doesn’t start to ferment, you will have to change it every now and then. How often you will have to change it will depend on the weather. The cooler the temperature, the longer your hummingbird food sugar will last without fermenting. Below is a chart to give you an idea as to how long you can expect your home made hummingbird food to last before needing changing.

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

Use these guidelines while keeping an eye on your feeder. If you notice the nectar starting to get cloudy, go ahead and change it. If you wait too long mold will grow in the nectar and on your feeder.

To help keep your feeder clean, rinse it out with hot water every time you change the nectar. Once a week you should also rinse it out with a vinegar and water solution. One part white vinegar to four parts water.

If you forget to change your nectar and mold does start to grow in it, you will have to clean your hummingbird feeder with a bleach water solution. Make a 1/4 cup bleach to 1 gallon of water solution and soak your feeder in it for about an hour to kill the mold and sterilize the feeder.

You can make your feeder cleaning a lot easier if you first start with a feeder that’s easy to take apart and clean. Here is the perfect hummingbird feeder you should have.

 
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.

Take care of your feeder and you will be rewarded with lots of hummingbirds to enjoy. I hope you enjoyed this article on make hummingbird food.

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