It's interesting to me that those who design feeders to be sold don't take into consideration what design(s) work(s). They keep making junk because we keep buying it. In my opinion, there are three big no-no's in hummingbird feeders. 1) The holes through which the juice is accessed must be small: just big enough for the hummers and no more. 2) The distance from the top of the juice to the feeder hole needs to be too long for wasps and bees, but short enough for hummers to get access. 3) The feeder MUST NOT leak. Over the years I have fed thousands upon thousands of hummers.

I always assumed Colorado's Front Range, where we received a scant 15" of rain a year amd any time the relative humidity got above single digits was what I called a "muggy day," was an arid climate. It seems every bit as wet as when I lived in the middle of the rainforest on Oahu compared to south-central Arizona. No, I'm not complaining, I hate humidity with a burning passion and rain and clouds are my arch nemesis. But, you're righr. The critters here are water desperate, though, maybe not as much here on the western edge of suburban Phoenix. Plus there is a lot of agriculture here in Buckeye so irrigation canals are still more common than stop lights. I do have a bird bath that I keep filled, so there is water present for them. I assume the insects use it every bit as much as much as the birds, but they don't get trapped in it, so I don't find their corpses floating in the tray like I do the hummer feeder. No, I haven't been to the Sonoran desert museum yet, Tucson is a solid 2-2 1/2 hour drive yet from where I'm at, so I haven't made it that way really (I did visit Tombstone when my wife was here for interviews back in October and drove through). Right now though, the hummer species list is pretty limited. I get Anna's here at the house and have seen Costa's around, but most others, from my understanding, are as transient as I am and wont be around until spring. As far as I know, the European honeybee and its Africanized counterpart are wholly indistinguishable outside of a laboratory setting. That is why it is "presumed" that all Apis mellifera in this corner of the world are of the subspecies/hybrid "scutellera" (Africanzied/killer bee). That being said, I do NOT wamt to spread fear, but awareness is a great tool. Just like all animals, and I have worked in close proximity to everything from bison to rattlesnakes, they operate on DEFENSE rather than offense. A healthy respect goes a long way and like my boss at USFWS used to say "it's a herd, not a gang."

Thanks for the advice, guys. I'm a complete newbie comes to hummingbirds and feeders. We didn't get them in NYC! Morz8, I think it would be wasteful to fill my feeder to the top, especially if the hummers don't know about it yet. I intend to plant some fuschias I already have in hanging pots near the feeder, plus I have some window boxes on the nearby railing to plant with the fuschia geraniums, purple petunias, and multi color portulaca I brought back from a fabulous nursery near Gettysburg, PA. I haven't planted them yet, they're sitting in their greenhouse pots on my wire shelving until I am really sure we won't have an overnight frost. If one suddenly came up, I could place my beautiful plants into a big Rubbermaid tote I have at the ready on the balcony. Accuweather, Weather.com, and the National Weather Service do not indicate any temps near freezing right up until Mother's Day, but I am erring on the side of caution. I am really looking forward to planting these gorgeous plants and hope they also attract hummers.

It takes time to get the first ones. After getting a few, it is possible to slowly increase the traffic over a few years. People who live in areas with a lot of hummer traffic can attract them quickly, but people who are off the hummers' beaten path have to be patient and consistent. You may only get a few this year, but keep trying. Consistency is the big factor. Sugar water sours fast in a warm/hot environment. Hummers leave if they taste sour juice. Only put up small amounts of juice till you have enough birds to drink more. About every third day take the feeder down, thoroughly clean it with something that will kill all bacteria, thoroughly rinse it, then put fresh clean juice in it. Be consistent. Every hummer that gets good juice at your feeder will visit again. If it is migrating, you will see it and it's offspring in the late summer as they head south. If it is nesting, you will see it all summer. Presently I am keeping three feeders up. I clean and refill one of them every day.