Hummingbird food mix– quickly and easily make your own hummingbird nectar:
So you want to enjoy the satisfaction of making your own hummingbird food mixand save a little money also. Well let’s get started.
It’s a simple recipe with only two ingredients, white granulated table sugar and tap water.
You will be using a ratio of four parts water to one part sugar. And this will make a hummingbird food mix solution that is 20 % sugar, just like the hummingbirds get when they feed on flower boom nectar.
HUMMINGBIRD FOOD MIX INSTRUCTIONS :
First add the four parts water and one part sugar to a pan and put on high heat. And stir the hummingbird food mix to dissolve all the sugar, while bringing the nectar solution to a boil.
Boil for about two minutes, then remove from the heat to cool. Two minutes is long enough to allow any chlorine that might be in the water to escape and it’s long enough to kill any mold spores that might be in the sugar.
Once the hummingbird food mix is cool, fill your hummingbird feeder and store the rest in the refrigerator. Your homemade hummingbird nectar will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
The key to consistently attracting hummingbirds to your feeder is to change the nectar often enough that the hummingbirds always find fresh nectar in your feeder. Also, you must keep your feeder clean so your fresh nectar isn’t contaminated by a dirty feeder.
How warm or cold the outside temperature gets will determine how often you will need to change the nectar. Below is a chart that will give you a good idea how long the nectar will last based on temperature. Also, anytime you notice your nectar getting cloudy, you need to dump it out and put in fresh nectar.
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 food mix in your feeder, be sure to rinse your feeder out with hot water to help keep your feeder clean.
If your hummingbird food mix is not changed on time, it will get moldy and mold will grow on your feeder. If your feeder gets moldy, you will have to soak the whole feeder in a bleach water solution. Mix a 10% bleach and water solution and soak your entire feeder for an hour.
When your feeder is done soaking you may need to brush out the mold with small brushes designed specifically for cleaning hummingbird feeders.
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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. |
Now that your homemade hummingbird food mix is done, you will need to get a feeder that is easy to take apart and clean, and one that will also protect yourhummingbird food mix from bees ants and wasps.
My favorite choice of hummingbird feeders to use with the homemade hummingbird food mix 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
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 you can make your own homemade hummingbird food mix. All that’s left to do is to change your nectar on time, according to the table, keep your feeder clean, and you will be enjoying lots of hummingbirds as they feed at your feeder.
I hope you enjoyed this article on hummingbird food mix.
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