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Hummingbird Garden

questions about feeding hummers

18 years ago

re: hummingbird feeders, is it true that you have to wash and refill the sugar water every 2 days? that's what i keep hearing, but i don't know if that's a sales ploy or not, to sell more sugar (!)

can you keep it in there, as long as it hasn't gotten cloudy-- which means it's fermented, right?

i put it thru the dishwasher so it's thoroughly disinfected, but i don't want to make the li'l hummers sick (or drunk), so will do whatever is the right thing.

also, can you use common table sugar or do you have to buy the correct "hummingbird sugar"? is it the same thing?

thanks!

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Comments (3)

jenny_in_se_pa
18 years ago
Hi rembetika and welcome!

With respect to refilling - it all depends on your weather (temperature, humidity in particular) and where the feeder is hung (sun or shade). When it's cooler, the sugar/water can often be just fine for a number of days. But when it's hot and humid, this encourages bacteria to grow (often introduced by the birds themselves) and that can spoil the solution - even if it doesn't appear to be cloudy as yet. When it's cloudy, that's often after the bacteria colony has multiplied so much that they visibly cloud the solution with their numbers.

I think putting it through the dishwasher might depend on whatever you use for detergent and whether it is actually rinsed well to get any residue out - particularly since some of the smaller glass ones have a pinched neck and may not get rinsed as well as say a drinking glass.

With respect to the sugar - plain white granualated table (cane) sugar is fine. Other types such as turbinado or lesser processed cane sugar with molasses isn't recommended. The "hummingbird sugar" sold commercially is often sold with a dye (FD&C Red 40), where the long-term effects of that on this bird is unknown and thus it's not recommended. Plus the commercial products like that end up costing more than plain cane sugar anyway, so might as well go with something very simple.
texaspuddyprint
18 years ago
Welcome Rembetika,

The ratio to make your own nectar is 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Depending on the number of hummies frequenting your feeders you can easily mix up a batch and refrigerate what you don't use.

Hummies here really go for the refrigerated nectar over the room temperature one - I guess they prefer a cool drink in this hot weather just like us.

Out here in deep south Texas the temperatures hover around 100+ most days and nectar solution spoils quickly. I have been using small feeders that the hummies will empty out and I refill them two or more times a day. I have bigger feeders out but still only use a couple of ounces of nectar in those...and even so, when I open them up I can see signs of mold showing up if I leave them out for more than two days.

Also...check the FAQs...lots of good hummie info there too :o)

Happy hummie days...and don't forget to share your photos with all of us here on the hummie forum.

~ Cat
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rembetika
Original Author
18 years ago
thank you very much for the info! i will use these tips and hopefully soon the hummers will start coming in droves, and will tell all their friends too. ;)

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