How to Make Hummingbird Food
3 Materials
$15
10 Minutes
Easy
You can make hummingbird nectar with two items you already have in your kitchen. Plus important tips on what you should NEVER feed to hummers!
We love feeding and watching the birds in our backyard. Our birdbath and seed feeder have lots of guests all season long, but my absolute favorites are the hummingbirds.
Here in Northern California we mostly see Anna’s Hummingbirds. They love to drink from my fuschias and the neighbor’s trumpetvine. Since the males like to fight over the flowers, I put a feeder right outside my kitchen window so they have an alternative dining area. This also gives them a constant food supply.
Hummingbird feeder solution is easy to make: 1 part plain white sugar to 4 parts water (e.g., 1 cup sugar with 4 cups water). Bring it to a boil to to kill any bacteria and allow it to cool completely before putting it into the feeder (I like this one).
Hummingbird Food Important Tips
- Keep the ratio exactly as listed. If you dilute the solution with more water, they’ll have to drink too much and won’t get enough nutrients.
- Only use plain white granulated sugar. Don’t use brown sugar, agave nectar, honey--which can kill hummers--or powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch.
- Don’t add any food coloring to the water. The feeder has plenty of color to attract them, and the birds can’t process all the chemicals in the food coloring.
- Not all hummers migrate! You can keep your feeder out all year as long as you keep it full and clean.
- Place your feeder out in the open, out of reach of Neighbor Kitty.
- If ants start invading the feeder, put some Vaseline in a ring on the pole or on the feeder itself. It’s like a giant oil slick that keeps them from the liquid.
- Change the solution and wash the feeder every 2-3 days, more often if it’s hot. Be sure and wash the feeder every time, even if they’ve drained it dry.
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Comments
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2 of 342 comments
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They have said the red food dye is not heathy for the birds and not to use it.
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the reason I have 8 is because 8 yrs ago I started out with one and every year added another hoping to attract more. I have 14 acres and lots of flower beds, a big garden, a pond, a pool, etc...and the feeders are spread out over a big space. no cats, dogs around. guess they just don't like my feeders. right before I took them all down for the winter I did happen to see 4 one rainy morning..
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