![]() Is it ok to use honey, brown sugar, maple syrup, or artificial sugars for hummingbird food? The flip side is you’ll have to wait for it to cool to room temp to put it in your feeder. If you choose not to boil, you may want to at least heat up the water enough to help the sugar dissolve faster. However, from what I’ve found on main birding websites, most tap water is just fine. If you have other impurities in your water that don’t boil out, you can use filtered water. So starting out with less bacteria and microbes (via boiling) will slow that process. Especially if the nectar will be in the heat where bacteria grows more quickly.įermenting happens when the bacteria uses up the sugar, creating byproducts like alcohol and lactic acid which isn’t good for the hummingbirds. You probably don’t have much bacteria in your tap water, but that’s why you might boil in the first place.īoiling kills bacteria present which helps the sugar water last longer outside before it ferments. Why would you boil your hummingbird nectar? Let the sugar water cool to room temperature before filling your bird feeder.Stir until sugar is completely dissolved.Or you can add the sugar and water together before bringing to a boil. ![]() You can boil 4 cups of water first, then add 1 cup of sugar.Many birders no longer boil because the benefit isn’t necessarily noticeable and it takes longer to cool if you boil. This can be done on the stove or microwave! If you don’t boil, warm the water slightly to make it easier to dissolve the sugar. There are a few ways to do this, but I don’t think it needs to be complicated. Peterson’s hummingbird field guide has 31 North American species with 250 color pages, migration patterns, maps, tips for attracting them to your yard, behaviors and habits of hummingbirds…it’s really a comprehensive guide! Basic Hummingbird Food Ratio To Make Sugar Water This goes way beyond what to feed them, and you’ll learn so much! If you don’t yet have an identification guide or know the types of hummingbirds in your area, I recommend treating yourself to a field guide. A field guide to hummingbirds in your area We will be starting a Calendar Of Firsts and I’ll aim to record the first hummingbird of the year when I see it. We love seeing our birdies up close and it’s become a fun part of nature study in our homeschool. Yes! Using the ratio below, your sugar water will closely mimic nectar from flowers and will not disrupt the birds migration patterns. Otherwise, the heat will ferment the sugar much more quickly and your sugar water won’t last as long! Is it ok to feed hummingbirds sugar water? Up close to a shaded window is ideal for viewing! If not, anywhere the feeder gets more shade is better than less shade. Where’s the best place to hang your feeder? This is a good idea until your hummingbirds discover where the food is, or else you’ll find yourself wasting sugar water between cleans. But remember, you can always fill your feeder less full. ![]() If your feeder has red (usually plastic), then there’s no need to use red dye to attract the birds which is not good for them anyways. You’ll want to look for one with red on it, as that’s the color that attracts hummingbirds. Read on to see how to mix this up and how often to change out your hummingbird nectar to keep bacteria away.Īs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Truly all you need is WHITE SUGAR, and WATER. Had I known how simple it was to make a sugar water solution, I would have done it sooner and enjoyed seeing these tiny, amazing birds up close. I actually bought a hummingbird feeder last year and didn’t get around to filling it. Today I’ll show you how to make sugar water for hummingbirds and how to keep your feeder clean. Whether you’re 9 or 90, there’s something magical about seeing a hummingbird! Maybe it’s their tiny bodies, long beaks, or bright colors…but there’s there’s nothing quite like seeing one up close.
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