Hummingbirds are such amazing little critters that a lot of folks have feeders to enjoy seeing them up close. Here are a few tips that I have learned over the many years that I think help keep the birds safe.
First and foremost, keep your feeders and the nectar within, clean. In the warmer months hummingbird solution can ferment in a few days and ants and other bugs can find their way into the feeder.
SOLUTION: I will put a little Vaseline on the wire or rod that holds the feeder. This can help to slow down the crawling bugs, like ants, from getting to the feeder. I wash my feeders one or two times per week in hot water. If any type of buildup is forming on the feeder, I will add a couple drops of Dawn liquid soap and a capful of bleach in a couple gallons of warm water to wash with (some do not recommend this as it can leave residue inside the feeder.) Super important to rinse many times in clean water so you don’t end up with any residue.
The nectar or hummingbird solution is the next most important thing. Use ONLY white table sugar and the suggested mixing rate is four parts warm or hot water and one part sugar. Blend until the sugar is totally dissolved. Do not add food coloring or use the premix solutions, and only mix what you will use in a week’s time. Once blended you can refrigerate. Just think the flowers that they get their nectar from are producing it fresh on a daily or even hourly basis.
There are many styles of feeders available but the most common are glass or plastic with some amount of red and yellow on them. I have found a little red can be helpful in attracting hummingbirds, but yellow is not important. Some folks even say feeders without yellow attract fewer bees. I have found I prefer feeders with smaller reservoirs that hold the solution as this makes me clean the feeder and change the solution more often. Unless you are lucky enough to have many hummers that drain your larger feeders quickly, I would stay with smaller feeders or only fill the reservoir part full. Sometimes bees can be so numerous the hummingbirds have trouble getting in there for a drink. The most effective solution for this is to try a feeder that has a reservoir that holds the solution below the point where the feeder holes for the birds drink from. This allows you to partially fill the feeder which seems to discourage the bees, because they can’t reach the solution.
Lastly, where to hang your feeder? Outside of our windows to enjoy the hummingbirds from inside or near an area in the yard where you like to spend a lot of time are great spots! If you put out a feeder and don’t have any action for a couple weeks maybe try a new location. In the hotter months its also beneficial to place it where it’s out of direct sunlight as the solution can get quite hot if in full sun. Changing location can also discourage bees if that’s an issue.
If you are not already aware we have 14 hummingbird feeders at the hospital. Every acute care window has one so patients and visitors, as well as employees, get to enjoy these tiny flying gems!
