Formula for hummingbird food is quick, easy and saves you money!
If you use this easy formula for hummingbird food, in 5 minutes time you will have all the hummingbird feeder mix you need, save money and never have to make another trip to the store to buy hummingbird nectar.
Formula for hummingbird food Instructions:
The simple formula for hummingbird food is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Ordinary tap water and granulated table sugar. Is all you need.
Put the water in a pan on your stove and slowly bring it to a boil.
While the water is heating up, stir in the sugar and continue stirring the hummingbird feeder mix until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Let the hummingbird food mix boil for about 2 minutes. This will release any chlorine that might be in the water and also kill any impurities. This will help your hummingbird food mix keep longer in your feeder.
Let the formula for hummingbird food cool, then add it to your feeder.
If you mix up more hummingbird food mix than you need to fill your feeder, you can store the excess in the frig. The hummingbird food mix will keep up to a week in your refrigerator.
Now that you have used the formula for hummingbird food and have filled your feeder with hummingbird feeder mix, all you need to do is keep fresh nectar in your feeder.
The hummingbird food mix will have to be changed every now and then to keep it from fermenting and getting moldy.
The temperature of the outside air will determine how long your hummingbird nectar will keep before going bad.
Use the chart below as a guide to how often to change the nectar in your feeder.
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
Each time you change the hummingbird feeder formula in your feeder, rinse the feeder out with hot water. If your nectar gets too old, mold will grow in the nectar and on your feeder. If this happens, you will have to soak your feeder in a bleach and water solution to kill the mold and sterilize your feeder.
Make a solution of 10% bleach to 90% water and soak your feeder for an hour.
Small hummingbird feeder brushes especially made to brush the dead mold off of the inside of your feeder and out of the feeder ports are very helpful to clean the mold from your feeder.
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Here is a good set of feeder brushes that will help you remove the mold from the inside of your feeder. |
Once your feeder is clean, rinse your feeder with running water several times. Be sure to remove all traces of the bleach water from your feeder.
To make cleaning your feeder as easy as possible, it is best to start with the right feeder. There are feeders that are easy to take apart to allow you access to the inside of the feeder so you can remove any mold that might be there.
Now that your homemade formula for hummingbird food 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 food from bees ants and wasps.
My favorite choice of hummingbird feeders to use with the formula for hummingbird food is:
Aspects 12oz Hummzinger Ultra With Nectar Guard
It’s inexpensive 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.
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.
Now that you know the formula for hummingbird food and how to keep your nectar fresh and clean your feeder, you should be able to thoroughly enjoy feeding your hummingbirds.
Good luck with your hummingbirds and I hope you enjoyed this article on the formula for hummingbird food.
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