My MIL's DH saw one yesterday at my feeders, but I haven't stood there long enough to see one yet. Some thoughts: While some like to boil, I don't, and my hummers don't seem to care. I make a 2 qt pitcher at a time, and use 2C sugar, 2C hot tap water (stir well), then add another 6C of cold water, and can use immediately. The rest is refrigerated. I fill 4 feeders, and recently saw an open "plate" design feeder video online that was simply amazing. Someone on one of these boards posted it. Might be in the New England board. I'm considering making one. Apparently they'll all play nice if they're forced to eat from the same big bowl.

Behind Sunken Gardens are the largest Cape Honeysuckle I have ever seen, also other large vines all in a mass of confusion and flowers..fantastic... bees galore also hummers I'm sure but I didn't actually see any when I drove by... they are covering the wall and cascading down... on the street behind the Gardens, you can't miss it.... but here in my little patch, I haven't seen a hummer for a long time now... sally

The discussion reminded me that I have a partial container of commercial food left over. I decided to go read the label. But first, it is three or four dollars for a 12 oz jar. The label had good advise about feeder cleaning, etc. It has no food coloring. Now the contents on the label: INGREDIENTS Sucrose, Dextrose (don't start laughing yet) GUARANTEED ANALYSIS: Crude Protein: Not less than 0.01% Crude fat: Not less than 0.01% Crude fiber: Not more than 0.01% Moisture: Not to exceed 0.01% Total sugar as Invert: 100% I opened the bottle. It's white, it's granular, it looks like SUGAR!!! So it just goes to prove that not all commercial hummer feed is bad. LOL I think I'll try it in my coffee in the morning.

This isn't about h-birds, and it's more about buzzers than hummers, but it seems like a reasonable follow up anyway. There's a narrow path along one of my borders, between a mixed bed and a small pool - about 25' long and only 3' wide (the path; the mixed bed is about 10' deep) and for over a month now the racket from the mixed bed has been astounding. This border is backed by old spruce trees and has a long row of evergreen euonymous (not one of the invasives, this is 'Manhattan' or a similar large-leaved variety) between the trees and a row of tree peonies, mountain laurel and azaleas, underplanted with gingers, geraniums, and various other perennials. Closer inspection revealed that the racket was coming from the euonymous, which has been blooming for weeks. After an even closer look, I realized that the buzzers were not bees at all, but flies. I can't detect any odor from these flowers, but there must be one, and it must not be anything that would appeal to people. Are there other plants that attract flies by the millions? These bugs (or are they insects?) don't seem to congregate anywhere else in the yard, and don't seem to be doing any harm. And, they don't scare anyone the way the bees that are swarming the clethra do.