How to make hummingbird nectar

I recently found out that you should make your own hummingbird nectar instead of feeding the store bought red dyed hummingbird food. I had no idea that red stuff was actually bad for them! I wanted to talk about hummingbirds, why they need a more natural nectar and give you that recipe today.

I've always had hummingbirds in my backyard. Every summer I hang the feeders out for them and they grace us with their beauty all season long.

A few years ago my mother-in-law went to an event that had a speaker who talked about hummingbirds. She brought home a sheet of paper that detailed lots of fascinating hummingbird facts. 

• Hummingbirds beat their wings at a rate of about 70 beats per second
• They eat an average of 7 times per hour.
• Hummingbird feet are only used for perching, not hopping or walking.
• A hummingbird can visit up to 1,000 flowers per day and remembers where they all are!
• Hummingbirds migrate, some going all the way down to cross the Gulf of Mexico! 

There was so much more information but those are just a few of my favorites. (for more information check out the hummingbird info website) There was also information about feeding hummingbirds and it suggested that we not buy premade food and instead mix our own about twice a week. 

I had never heard of such a thing! I always bought those quart jugs of red 'hummingbird syrup' and poured it in the feeder. In my defense, I didn't know better! I thought that's what they were supposed to eat. 

I found out that the best things for them is simply a homemade mix of sugar and water. No red dye stuff, no flavor sticks to add in (I was buying them mango flavor sticks for their hummingbird juice) just plain sugar and water. It's so simple!

Make Your Own Hummingbird Nectar

Recipe: Dissolve 1 cup of sugar into 4 cups of water. That's it! Pour into feeder and hang in the same spot they're used to it being in. If you have extra you can store it in a closed jug in the refrigerator. 

Or you can just mix 1/4 cup of sugar with 1 cup of water so there's none left over. As long as you stick to the 1 to 4 ratio, it will turn out right! 

As an added bonus, it's much cheaper then the store bought stuff!

The red dye is not necessary and may be toxic to their systems. Hummingbirds are attracted to the color red though, so I just buy the red feeders. 

Never use honey, organic sugar, cane or agave syrup, brown sugar or artificial sweeteners. They contain too much iron, calcium etc and are harmful to hummers! 

Don't use distilled water, it has all of the naturally occurring minerals removed. Tap water is the best to use. You can also use spring water if you have it.

Now that you have the right food to put in the feeder, the feeder itself needs a little bit of TLC.

Hummingbird feeder placement & care

• Hang your hummingbird feeder in the shade so that the nectar stays fresh longer.
• Hummingbirds aren't very afraid of humans so you can hang a feeder outside your window and they will visit it and let you observe them!
• Don't move the feeder often. They remember where every source of food is so when they don't find the feeder, they won't look around for it they'll just move on to the next place they know food is.
• .....Which is a good reason to place your feeder near flowers.
• Hummingbird nectar only lasts a few days before it needs changed. Change your nectar every 3-4 days to prevent fermentation. When the sugar starts to ferment it can get the hummingbirds 'drunk' causing them to fly into windows or other things causing injury or death.  
• Always clean the feeder thoroughly if you see those stringy water formations or mold. Dry completely before refilling
• If the feeder is too dirty and needs cleaned, I use denture tablets to clean it since it's hard to reach inside. Just make sure you rinse well after!

This is a super short video, but after I refilled the feeder today, one hummingbird was chasing all the others away when they got near it! They were actually fighting over it. Too funny!

I live in Pennsylvania, so it's time to put out our feeders for the season. Florida starts to see hummers migrating north as early as January while it may take until May for them to get up to the Great Lakes area. 

It's a myth that hummingbirds won't migrate if feeders are left up too long in the fall. The migrate according to daylight hours and hormones, not food availability. Try to get your feeders up a week or so before when the hummingbirds are expected in your area. 

Hopefully they'll see your feeder as they buzz by and decide to stop for a drink, and they just may hang out and visit you for the summer!

~L 

Edited: I have received a few messages asking me why/how I'm holding a hummingbird. The answer is in the post A very special dinner guest from 2 years ago. It is the story of how this hummingbird came to fall on my porch and what happened after. Enjoy!

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