Congrats on your hummer, however, please do not use the commercial red nectar as it can be harmful to them. Homemade is best for the hummers. Use a 4:1 ratio of water to sugar. (store bought fine granulated) I bring the water to a boil, remove from the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it completely dissolves. Allow it cool completely before filling a feeder. Also, you can store the nectar in the fridge for about a week. This recipe is comparable to the nectar found in natural sources.

As a reminder, Never Never use honey, syrup, molasses and any artificial sweetners.

Happy humming and I bet you'll see more little visitors soon.

Donna

It is so exciting to finally attract a hummingbird. Donna's advice is sound. Try to think of it this way - There is no red dye in any of the natural nectar they get from flowers. The nectar does not need to be red. They can't taste a color. One of the flowers most popular with my hummingbirds is my Black & Blue salvia. So red is not needed. Hummingbirds have incredible memories when it comes to finding food sources and they will not forget the location of your feeder. Plus having clear nectar will make it easier to see if there is any dirt, mold, or ants in the solution. Remember to change the nectar frequently to keep it fresh, and keep the feeder clean. The reason I mention this is because I know someone that just hung her first feeder this year and she didn't know she was supposed to change the solution. She honestly thought it was something you just fill and then forget about for the summer.

I suspect that there are worse things in the commercial hummer food mix than red dye. I make my nectar using the same formula that Donna described above.

Thanks Kendra for adding more great info!

I love hummingbirds! I put my first feeder up sometime in April & within an hour already had a hummer there eating. I have 4 feeders out & any time of the day you can go out & at least 2 or 3 are at each feeder; at sunrise & sunset the feeders are packed w/ at least 5-7 or more hovering around each feeder waiting their turn! I have to refill my feeders every 2-3 days so my "nectar" doesn't have a chance to go bad.

I will however disagree w/ some of the given advice. I'm not saying I'm right, but my hummingbirds like what I do. I make up a 3 1/2 qt. juice container of "nectar" at a time. I put 2 cups of sugar in 1 quart of water (so 7 cups to my 3 1/2 qt. container)... I've read some agruments about this on here, but again, my HB's seem to like it & keep coming back. I never boil the water, I mix the sugar w/ cold water & shake the container vigorously before filling each feeder. Mine is stored in the fridge & doesn't last more than a week. I don't notice any difference between warm/cold feeders when I put them out, so they will drink the cold nectar (I've read where some ppl warm it up before putting it in the feeder).

What you do is up to you, I just wanted to add my 2 cents. Good luck & hope you have many HB's come your way! :)

~Shannon

Just want to add my two bits. Everyone has their own way of doing things, so whatever works for them.

I am with Shannon. I just use pure cane sugar (not beet). I cup of sugar to every 3 cups of water. I do not boil. Just shake well. I keep chilled whatever I do not use when filling the feeders the first time around. The hummingbirds hanging around my yard seem to not care if the solution is cold or room temp. I try and change the feeders every 3 or 4 days, but have gone as long as a 7-9 days without changing them (while away on vacation and such). Or, if we get a few days of rain I may leave them up a little longer than usual, for several reasons that I will not go into here. I have an assortment of plants, so if at any time the sugar water doesn't suit their taste, they have a natural source to fall back on. In all the years I have been feeding them, they have never stopped using my feeders for any reason (other than being empty). I might add, I have heard that hummingbirds are well aware of all nectar sources within a mile radius (not sure if true or not). So I am sure if they are not happy with your feeders, they will have plenty of other places to drink. And if they do like your offerings, they will be back frequently.

Scott

You forgot another inportant hummer feeding fact - keep the feeder clean. I clean mine with a solution of bleach and hot water everytime it needs filling. ( I'm lucky to see one or two HB a year, but it is exciting.) I do have a question though. Do they prefer the bottle or dish type feeder? I have both up at the same time and it seems to depend on the day which they frequent most. Maybe I could attract more if they were both the same type.

I really don't know if they prefer bottle or dish type, or if it would really make a difference. I have tried both types. Actually, I've tried at least a dozen different types of feeders (if not more). It was amazing to me how many had issues with dripping/leakage, cleaning issues and mold formation problems (learned that more expensive does not translate into better). I finally found a cheap bottle feeder that does not drip. Easy to clean and fill. So I bought a dozen of them (only keep 5 or 6 up at a time), and use them only. Don't remember make or model.

I think hummingbirds are pretty intelligent, and will easily recognize and use most any type of feeder.

Scott

I never boil my water either. I just mix in the sugar with water straight from the tap. However, it pays to keep in mind the reason for boiling. The reason has nothing to do with sterilization. As soon as the first hummingbird sticks their tongue in there it is no longer sterile anyway. I have a well with fresh water, so I can use it right from the tap. The reason for boiling is to rid the water of chlorine, which is in public water. Therefore both methods are technically correct, depending on your water source.