Here’s A quick, easy guide to making hummingbird food:
Making hummingbird food is easy. If you have some white granulated table sugar and some tap water, you’re just minutes away from the quick, easy task of making hummingbird food. Making hummingbird food is fun and will save you some money. It will also save you trips to the store to get nectar when you run out.
There is a sense of joy you will feel when hummingbirds come to the feeder to get homemade hummingbird food that you yourself have made.
Making Hummingbird Food:
For making hummingbird food you will use sugar and water at a 4 parts water to 1 part sugar ratio. This 4 to 1 ratio will make a hummingbird nectar that’s about 20% sugar, just like the percentage of sugar that’s found in the flower nectar that hummingbirds drink.
1.-in a pan heat the water and sugar. Stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar.
2.-when the mixture comes to a boil, boil the mixture for about 2 minutes. This will release any chlorine in the water and kill any mold spores or bacteria in the sugar.
3.-after boiling for 2 minutes take the hummingbird nectar off the heat and let cool.
4.-add the homemade hummingbird food to the feeder and you can store any excess nectar in the frig. The excess hummingbird nectar will keep in the frig for up to 2 weeks.
To have luck making hummingbird food and feeding hummingbirds, you will have to keep your feeder clean and make sure the nectar in your hummingbird feeder is always fresh.
If you change your nectar often enough, before the sugar starts to ferment, keeping your feeder clean won’t be too much of a chore.
If you let your nectar ferment, mold will grow in your nectar and on your feeder. This will make cleaning your feeder quite a bit harder.
Below is a chart that will show you how often your nectar should be changed. It is based on the temperature because this is what will cause your nectar to ferment sooner or later. The hotter it is, the quicker your nectar will have to be changed.
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
Rinse your feeder out with hot water every time you change your nectar. Then every week or so rinse your feeder out with a !0% white vinegar to water solution to help keep your feeder clean.
If you do let your feeder go too long without changing the nectar, and mold starts to grow, you will have to soak your hummingbird feeder in a bleach water solution to kill the mold and sterilize your feeder. Mix 1/4 cup bleach in a gallon of water and let your feeder soak for an hour. You may also need to use hummingbird feeder brushes to dislodge the mold from your feeder. Rinse the feeder out several times with running water to be sure to remove all traces of the bleach water.
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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. |
Making hummingbird food is even more fun when you use the right feeder:
And to really make your life sweet, here is a feeder that’s easy to take apart and allows easy access to all the internal areas that need to be brushed free of mold.
My favorite hummingbird feeder to use when making hummingbird food, that’s also easy to take apart and clean is 
Aspects 12oz Hummzinger Ultra With Nectar Guard
It’s inexpensive and has all the features that make it a great hummingbird feeder
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
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.
Making hummingbird food will be a rewarding experience for you and your hummingbirds. Keep your hummingbird nectar fresh and your feeder clean, and you will be rewarded with lots of hummingbirds to enjoy throughout the season.
I hope you enjoyed this article on making hummingbird food.
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