A recipe to feed hummingbirds can be quicker and easier than you might think.
Using a recipe to feed hummingbirds and making your own hummingbird food can be an easy hands-on experience to extend you’re enjoyment of hummingbirds. Making your own hummingbird nectar only takes two common ingredients. Sugar and water is all you need.
Ordinary tap water and white granulated table sugar is all you need for homemade hummingbird food.
Recipe to feed hummingbirds formula:
The formula used in the hummingbird food recipe is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.
The flower nectar that hummingbirds feed on is basically a 20% sugar and 80% water liquid. So this 4 to 1 ratio of water to sugar will give you a homemade hummingbird nectar very close to flower nectar.
Recipe to feed hummingbirds Instructions:
In a pan on your stove top add the water and bring it to a boil. While the water is heating up, stir in the sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved.
If you boil the hummingbird nectar for about 2 minutes, that will be enough to release the chlorine from the water and kill any mold spores in the sugar that might cause the nectar to spoil sooner.
When the nectar is done boiling, remove from the heat to let cool before adding to your hummingbird feeder.
If you have any nectar left, you can keep it in the frig to use later. You can keep the nectar up to a week in the frig.
Now you know the recipe to feed hummingbirds and have your homemade hummingbird nectar in your feeder. Now you must keep fresh nectar in your feeder and keep your feeder clean.
To keep you homemade hummingbird nectar fresh, you will have to change the nectar according to a time schedule based on the outside temperature. The hotter it is, the sooner your nectar will have to be changed.
Heat will cause the sugar to ferment and if the nectar is not changed, eventually mold will grow in the nectar and on your feeder.
Below is a time schedule you can follow that will help you avoid any moldy 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 nectar, rinse out your feeder with hot water.
Another good practice to help keep your feeder clean is to soak it once a month in a gallon of water containing 1/4 cup bleach. Soak it for about an hour then rinse it thoroughly with running water to remove all the bleach water.
If you don’t change the nectar often enough and mold starts to grow, follow this link on maintaining and cleaning your hummingbird feeder to learn more on cleaning your hummingbird feeder.
Now that your recipe to feed hummingbirds 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 recipe from bees ants and wasps.
My favorite choice of hummingbird feeders to use with the recipe to feed hummingbirds 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.
Good luck feeding your hummingbirds and I hope you enjoyed this article on recipe to feed hummingbirds.
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