An easy way to get more enjoyment out of feeding hummingbirds and save money at the same time is to use this formula for hummingbird feed and make your own hummingbird feeder mix.
Experience the satisfaction you will get when you attract lots of hummingbirds to your feeder to feed on the formula for hummingbird feed that you made with your own 2 hands.
All you will need is some common white table sugar and some water. You will also need a pan to put the sugar and water in so you can boil it on the stove.
Formula for hummingbird feed, make this easy inexpensive hummingbird food recipe:
The simple formula for hummingbird feed is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Just use white granulated table sugar, like you use on your breakfast cereal and ordinary tap water.
1.-start off by bringing the tap water to a boil on your stove top
2.- now stir in the white granulated table sugar and keep stirring the sugar water mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Boil the nectar for about 2 minutes.
3.- remove from heat, when the nectar is cool, pour your homemade hummingbird food into your feeder
How simple was that! In just a very few minutes time you have made your very own hummingbird food, using the formula for hummingbird feed.
Formula for hummingbird feed preparation notes:
don’t over boil the water…about 2 minutes total boiling time will be long enough. If your water is chlorinated the boiling will help release the chlorine from the water. Over boiling will reduce the water to sugar ratio.
Four parts water to 1 part sugar is the ratio found in nature in the flower nectar that hummingbirds feed on. If you boil away water there will be more sugar left. You will have a sweeter nectar that will make it more attractive to bees and wasps.
Also, a nectar containing more sugar will not last as long before fermenting, as a lower sugar content nectar would. So, you want your homemade hummingbird nectar to be as close to the 1 to 4 ratio found in nature, as possible.
When your nectar is cool, what you don’t use can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It’s always good to have extra nectar on hand because you will have to change it every few days to make sure it doesn’t ferment and cause mold to grow in the nectar and on your feeder.
As a general rule of thumb, if the temp. outdoors is below 70 degrees it will last 6 or 7 days. in the 70’s 5-6 days, in the 80’s 2-4 days, 90 and above you might have to change the nectar every day or 2. It’s better to change it more often to be safe and avoid spoilage.
The appearance of the nectar will tell you if it needs changed. If it starts to look cloudy, change it and rinse your feeder several times with warm water before refilling.
If black spots (mold) appear in your feeder, you waited too long. Now you will have to soak your feeder in a mild bleach solution (10% bleach 90% water) for an hour to kill the mold.
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You may have to use bottle brushes to scrub it out and to clean out the feeding ports. After it’s cleaned rinse it thoroughly with water 3 or 4 times to make sure all of the bleach is rinsed out. |
To make this feeder cleaning a lot easier it’s best to star with a feeder that’s easy to take apart and clean and gives you easy access to all of the hard to reach spots on the inside. Here is a feeder that does all that and more…….
Now that you know the formula for hummingbird feed, you will need to get a feeder that is easy to take apart and clean, and one that will also protect your hummingbird food recipe from bees ants and wasps.
My favorite choice of hummingbird feeders to use with the formula for hummingbird feed is 
Aspects 12oz Hummzinger Ultra With Nectar Guard
The Hummzinger feeder 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.
Trap-It Ant Moat for Hummingbird Feeders, Red
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.
One final note……don’t use red food color in the formula for hummingbird feed. The red coloring of your feeder itself, will be enough to attract hummingbirds. There is question as to whether or not the dye in red food coloring is harmful to the hummingbirds, so it’s best to be on the safe side and just not use it.
You can hang strips of red ribbon from your feeder or hang a basket of red flowers next to your feeder to attract hummingbirds. I use red petunias in hanging baskets to attract hummingbirds to my feeder.
Have fun with your hummingbirds and I hope you enjoyed this article about the formula for hummingbird feed.
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