What To Put In Hummingbird Feeder? Some Useful Tips

I’m sitting here at the window of my house and thinking about what to put in hummingbird feeder. One of the most challenges about hummingbirds is deciding what the perfect recipe is to serve them. So, I did a little research on this issue and found out the right solution.

A hummingbird feeder should be filled with nectar prepared with 1 part sugar and 4 parts water. When making the mixture, you shouldn’t use red dye, artificial sweetener, honey, and chili powder. Once you fill the feeder with nectar, place it outside in a suitable spot, and keep extra sugar water in a refrigerator.

Apart from that, you have to consider many things when you’re going to put nectar in your hummingbird feeder. Now, I’m David Rosas, going to share with you what you need to do about making a hummingbird nectar recipe and how to make it both safely and effectively.

Related Blogs About Hummingbirds:
Where To Hang Hummingbird Feeder Sun Or Shade? [Read more]
When Do Hummingbirds Migrate South? [Read more]

What To Put In A Hummingbird Feeder?

If you want to make homemade hummingbird food, collect the necessary ingredients and materials, and follow the instructions below.

Hummingbird Nectar Recipe

If you want to make homemade hummingbird food, collect the necessary ingredients and materials, and follow the instructions below.

Ingredients & Materials

For hummingbird food recipe, you’ll need:

• 4 cups hot water
• 1 cup white cane sugar
• Bowl/ Glass
• Spoon

Instructions

• Simply boil the water on a stovetop for around 1 minute.
• In a bowl or glass, combine 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water).
• To dissolve the sugar thoroughly, stir the mixture with the spoon.
• Cool the mixture in such a way that it comes to room temperature.
• Fill the feeder with the mixture and hang it outside in a suitable spot for hummingbirds.

Related Blog: When To Stop Feeding Hummingbirds? [Read more]

Never Add The Following Ingredients To The Nectar

There are some ingredients that can be harmful to hummingbirds’ health. So, when you’re making nectar for them, you should avoid them.

Red Dye

Although hummingbirds are attracted to red, you shouldn’t use red dye to their food due to the harm to their health.

As most hummingbird feeders are designed with red, hummingbirds are usually attracted, and you don’t need to mix red dye to their food.

If your feeder is not red enough, you can place the feeder near a colorful flower bed or add a red ribbon to the hanger.

Artificial Sweeteners

When you’re making nectar for hummingbirds, you shouldn’t use any artificial sweetener instead of regular sugar.

Artificial sweeteners could be harmful to hummingbirds’ health.

Molasses Or Honey

If you use molasses or honey instead of regular sugar, you can make harmful nectar for hummingbirds.

Molasses and honey develop a great breeding ground for fatal bacteria. They also allow mold to grow in the feeders.

Chili Powder Or Oil

Although chili powder or oil is not harmful to hummingbirds, these things are not part of a regular hummingbird diet.

So, you should avoid them while making nectar for them.

Some Useful Tips Regarding Hummingbird Feeder & Nectar

These are some useful tips that you should follow when you’re dealing with hummingbirds and their foods.

Feeder & Nectar

• Choose a hummingbird feeder that you can easily clean.
• Above the pool of liquid, your feeder should have some ports to avoid drips and reduce the attacks of bees and ants.
• Your feeder should match the hummingbird population.
• Don’t fill the feeder until the remaining nectar is finished.

Freshness

• You should change nectar every 4 to 5 days, especially when the temperature is over 90-degree Fahrenheit.
• If you see any mold in the feeder or the liquid looks cloudy, you immediately have to wash the feeder thoroughly.

Location

• Make sure that you place the feeder at least 4 feet above from the ground so that predators, like cats and raccoons, cannot reach it.
• Don’t put the feeder near a nest to avoid the attacks of predators.
• You should place the feeder in a shady spot if possible.
• Set the feeder in a place where you can see it through the window of your house.

Maintenance

• Before every refill, you must clean the feeder.
• To rinse thoroughly, you can use water and mild detergent.
• You, at least once a month, need to soak the feeder in a mixture of water and bleach and then wash thoroughly.
• If ants attack your feeder, you have to use an Ant Guard to prevent them.

There are some common questions that people frequently ask professionals or search on the internet. These are –

Is It Ok To Feed Hummingbirds Sugar Water?

Sure, it’s okay to feed sugar water to hummingbirds because they love sugar water very much. However, you have to prepare it as per the perfect ratio.

Though native flowers are the primary nectar source for hummingbirds, providing tended enough sugar-water feeders can supplement them with extra nutriment in nesting.

While providing sugar water to these birds, there are some things you should be aware of-

• Don’t use red food coloring
• Beet sugar is acceptable, but cane sugar is best
• Avoid using raw, turbinado, organic, or powdered sugar
• Tap water is okay, though spring water is better
• Use 1/4 sugar and water ratio and wait until the sugar dissolves in the water thoroughly

Can You Use Tap Water?

Yes, you can use tap water to prepare hummingbird nectar. However, make sure that you boil the water before using it to remove any impurities and help to dissolve the sugar.

What Can You Use Instead Of Tap Water?

Instead of tap water, you can use distilled water.

However, when the water is being distilled, it lacks essential minerals that hummingbirds must need to consume. If you’re going to use distilled water, it will be good to add a pinch of sodium-free salt to the water to ensure potassium chloride in the mixture.

Remember that you need not use table salt (sodium chloride) if you use tap water.

Should You Boil The Water?

This is a debated topic!

Most birders recommend boiling the water to remove all impurities, for example, bacteria and fungus. Otherwise, boiling the water is not necessary.

This is because the microorganisms that cause fermentation are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills.

If you don’t want to use boiled water, use naturally hot water you may have from your sink. To help the sugar dissolve too fast, you need to use hot water.

What Kind of Sugar Should You Use?

You should use regular table sugar, granulated white sugar, or cane sugar. Beet sugar is okay if necessary.

Don’t use unprocessed sugar, corn syrup, honey, artificial sweeteners because these ingredients could be detrimental to hummingbirds’ health.

What If You Use Raw Sugar?

Raw sugar, also known as turbinado, is not sufficiently purified and may have trace amounts of molasses. Although molasses is rich in iron, which is helpful to humans, it could be harmful to hummingbirds’ health.

In the United States, raw sugar cannot be used, and its sale is banned due to unpredictable impurities, such as molds, bacteria, insect parts, heavy metals, etc.

But, health food stores in third-world countries sell refined raw sugar without removing all the non-sugar components.

How Long Can You Keep Hummingbird Nectar In The Fridge?

You can keep hummingbird nectar in the fridge for up to 14 days (2 weeks). After you fill the feeder with sugar water, you can store the leftover nectar in your fridge. However, if you see molds grow in the mixture, discard it and prepare another fresh batch.

How Often Should You Change Nectar In The Hummingbird Feeder?

It’s best to change the nectar every other day to prevent mold growth. But, if you miss a time or two, make sure that you clean and fill the feeder with nectar at least twice a week during warm months. In winter, you need to change nectar once a week.

So, how long you don’t need to change nectar entirely depends on several factors, including weather, humidity, and place where the feeder is hanged. It’s not possible to predict how many days the hummingbird nectar stays fresh.

Once you notice the nectar looking cloudy, immediately clean the feeder and refill it with a fresh batch. If you would like your hummingbird nectar to last longer, use a product called Nectar Defender to help prolong the time it takes to spoil.

Is Nectar the Only Food That Hummingbirds Eat?

Nectar is a fancy name for sugar water and is not the only food that hummingbirds have. They usually get their protein by eating small insects and spiders. Sugar water works as a supplement to catch those insects and arthropods.

Hummingbirds also eat bananas or other fruits that tend to spoil. You just have to place such fruit in a spot that is easy to see. These types of fruits are usually attracted by lots of fruit flies that can be turned into an easy meal for hummingbirds.

As hummingbirds eat insects, you shouldn’t use any insecticides in your yard. Instead, you should invite plenty of bugs so that hummingbirds get an instant meal to eat.

Some Dos and Don’ts: At a Glance

Dos	Don’ts
Use the 4:1 ratio	Don’t use honey or natural sugar
Use refined white cane sugar	Avoid using red or any artificial color
Clean your feeders regularly	Artificial sweeteners not allowed
You can keep the unused sugar water up to 1 or 2 weeks (one week is better)	Don’t leave your nectar out for a long time
Refresh your nectar frequently	Don’t use the wrong recipe
Feed the sugar water at the right time	Don’t use dirty feeders
Use more than one feeder	Don’t freeze nectar
Control other insects
Try to offer natural nectar

---

Some Frequently Asked Questions with Short Answers

01. Do I need to boil sugar water for hummingbirds?

Answer: Boiling the sugar water isn’t necessary. So, you don’t have to boil the water. But if you want, you can boil the water to help the sugar dissolve into the water. Then, let the water cool down before serving.

Always use water at room temperature – don’t provide hot or cold sugar water to hummingbirds. You can keep the remaining prepared sugar water in the refrigerator until one week.

02. Where is the best place to hang a hummingbird feeder?

Answer: The best place to hang a hummingbird feeder is 10 to 15 feet away from a tree or other areas free from the attacks of predators. Make sure that you place the feeder in a highly visible place in your yard where you can see it through the window of your house.

03. What should you not feed hummingbirds?

Answer: You shouldn’t feed hummingbirds several ingredients, including red dye, artificial sweetener, raw sugar, molasses, honey, chili powder, oil, etc. 

04. Dose sugar water kill hummingbirds?

Answer: You can be assured that sugar water doesn’t kill hummingbirds. However, if the feeder gets contaminated by mold, fungus, or bacteria, they can harm hummingbirds.

So, keeping the sugar water in a feeder for a long time is not healthy for hummingbirds. Sometimes, a dead bug in sugar water can cause severe problems for them.

---

Final Words

Regardless of putting nectar in your hummingbird feeder, you can provide a variety of food sources to them.

Nectar-producing flowers are the most popular way that can attract many hummingbirds to your yard.

Besides, hummingbirds eat fruit juices, tree sap, pollen, and insects, especially spiders. So, you should avoid spraying insecticides that would remove these natural food sources.

However, preparing a sugary treat is quite simple. It may take around 5 minutes from starting making nectar to serving it to hummingbirds.

If you still encounter any problem with making nectar, you can ask me below in the comment section. I’ll be pleased to help you out.

---

Image Source

1. Pixabay.com
2. stock.adobe.com
3. Pexels.com