Anyone Can Make Hummingbird Feed
Making hummingbird feed yourself is a quick and easy process that will save you money in the long run. In about five minutes time, using just common white granulated table sugar and tap water you can easily make your own homemade hummingbird feed.
Hummingbird Feed Instructions:
1. white sugar and water are mixed together at a ratio of one part sugar to four parts water
2. bring this hummingbird feed solution to a boil while stirring to dissolve all the sugar
3. boil the hummingbird feed for about two minutes then let cool before adding to the hummingbird feeder.
Boiling the hummingbird feed solution will get rid of any chlorine that might be in the water and kill any impurities that might be in the sugar. This boiling will allow your homemade hummingbird nectar to last longer before fermentation.
This four to one ratio of water to sugar will produce a hummingbird feeding mixture that is about twenty percent sugar just like the flower nectar hummingbirds naturally feed on.
If you have any hummingbird food leftover, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks and used as needed.
Now that you know how to make the nectar, all you need to do to have success feeding your hummingbirds, is to keep fresh nectar in your feeder and make sure the feeder is always clean.
To keep the hummingbird nectar fresh you’ll have to change it before the sugar in the homemade hummingbird food starts to ferment.
If you wait too long the sugar in your hummingbird feed will ferment and mold will start to grow in the nectar as well as on your feeder itself. If this happens it can be a real problem to clean out the mold.
You can tell if your hummingbird feed needs changed just by looking at it. When it starts to look cloudy that’s when it needs changing.
The outside temperature would determine how long your hummingbird food will last before the sugar starts to ferment. The cooler the weather the longer you’re nectar will last. Here is a chart that gives an idea of how long your hummingbird feed should last, based on the temperature.
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
Should you forget to change the hummingbird feed on a timely basis and mold appears, you’ll have to give your hummingbird feeder a thorough cleaning.
You will need to mix a 10% bleach and 90% water solution to soak your feeder in to kill the mold and sterilize your feeder. Soak your feeder for an hour. You may need to use small hummingbird feeder brushes to brush the dead mold off of the inside of your feeder and out of the feeder ports, to thoroughly clean it.
You may also need to brush the feeder with special hummingbird feeder brushes to remove the dead mold. They come in shapes and sizes especially suited to get into all the little nooks and crannies where mold might be hiding.
nce your feeder is clean, remove all the bleach water by rinsing it in running water several times.
There are feeders that you can buy that will make the task of cleaning a feeder a lot easier. Try to find a feeder that is easy to take apart and allows you to get inside the feeder to all those hard to reach areas that will need cleaning.
Now that your hummingbird feed 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 feed from bees ants and wasps.
My favorite choice of hummingbird feeders to use with the homemade hummingbird feed recipe 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 how to make homemade 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 hummingbird feed.
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