Hummingbird Food

"This is such an easy recipe. I don't add any food color to this as I've heard it's not good for the little birds. Do not use honey or other types of sugar, the birds cannot digest them. Also if you have trouble with ants you can now get a little item that has ant repellent in it that doesn't harm the birds. I have one on my hummer feeder."
 
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photo by Enigma W. photo by Enigma W.
Ready In:
10mins
Ingredients:
2
Serves:
1
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ingredients

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directions

  • Bring the water to a boil.
  • Take the water off the heat and add the sugar.
  • Stir to dissolve completely.
  • Let the nectar cool.
  • Place in a clean hummingbird feeder and hang outside for the birds.
  • Note:

  • Change the food at least every three to five days with a new batch to keep it fresh. Remember don't use food coloring.
  • Check the bird feeder regularly and every time you change the food to see if any gray mold has formed inside the feeder base, or, any ants have crawled inside to get at the sugar water.
  • If you see any take the feeder down and throw the bird food away. It's not good for the birds to drink this. Chances are they won't drink it anyway.
  • Clean the hummingbird feeder by rinsing with warm water. Then, put a few drops of bleach into the water inside the feeder and clean with a bottle brush.
  • Once clean, rinse thoroughly with fresh water and let dry.
  • Fill up with new food and place outside.
  • The birds will love you for it!

Questions & Replies

  1. I was reading about hummingbirds...this winter was terrible for them. It was on the news to feed them to help them through the winter...I wanted to let you know that organic sugar (cane sugar) is poisonous to hummingbirds...because of the iron content...it will actually kill them. We are only supposed to feed them regular refined sugar...and I was hoping to ask you to change the recipe you posted for the health of these beautiful little birds. Thank you so much for all your recipes.
     
  2. I have heard that organic sugar is unrefined and has molasses in it which contains iron and is not safe for the hummers. From my understanding one must use refined white sugar only. Has anyone else researched this?
     
  3. What is the name of the ant repellent for the hummingbird feeder? And where do we get it?
     
  4. Can I use raw sugar to make humming bird food instead of white
     
  5. Will distilled water be OK for the food? Our tap water is very rusty.
     
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Reviews

  1. There's a lot of well-meaning misinformation floating around about feeding hummingbirds, so it's not surprising that some of it has shown up in the reviews. Here's my perspective as someone who's studied hummingbirds professionally for more than 25 years: <br/><br/>* Hummingbirds visit flowers and feeders for energy and water. They meet all their other nutritional needs (protein, vitamins, minerals, etc.) by eating insects and spiders (a good reason to avoid using pesticides in your yard). <br/>* Artificial coloring isn't a huge health issue for us because we consume such small amounts, but hummingbirds can drink three times their weight in nectar or sugar water every day. If you can't resist coloring your sugar water, use a teaspoon or two of concentrated fruit juice (tart cherry gives a nice bright red color, but the birds don't seem to like the taste of cranberry).<br/>* Organic sugar isn't fully refined, and that dingy color comes in part from iron, which hummingbirds have a low tolerance for. Pure white sugar is safest.<br/>* Boiling isn't strictly necessary, but it does help the sugar dissolve and the solution stay fresh a little longer. Microwaving is also okay, but don't use hot tap water unless you have a special instant hot water dispenser at your kitchen sink. The CDC warns against drinking or cooking with ordinary hot tap water because it can contain elevated levels of lead, so it doesn't belong in hummingbird feeders, either. <br/>* Both vinegar (full-strength) and bleach (diluted) are perfectly okay for cleaning feeders, but bleach is a more powerful disinfectant. As long as you rinse the feeder well, any residual chlorine will be neutralized by the sugar in the solution. Soaps and detergents can be a problem if the feeder has nooks and crannies that you can't reach to scrub and rinse, but some well-designed feeders can be washed on the top rack of a dishwasher.<br/> * If the sugar water in your feeder "turns black" within three days, you likely have a problem with contamination of the feeder and/or the sugar.
     
  2. The recipe of One cup sugar to 4 cups water is correct. It is NOT neccesary to boil the water.<br/>First fill your refrigerator container with the dry sugar and then add the HOTTEST tap water you can get. Add the water to the sugar. Close the lid on the container and shake shake shake for about 30 seconds till all the sugar dissolves. Keep refrigerated.<br/>IMPORTANT: the original recipe says to clean the feeders with BLEACH. NO NO. NEVER NEVER. Bleach can leave a residue that will kill a hummer. No soap either. Use good old vinegar-which is natural and easily washes away. I use about 50% vinegar (either white or apple cider vinegar) and 50% HOT water.Rinse the feeder well before refilling.<br/>In HOT climates -don't fill the feeders full as the nectar ferments and should be changed every other day. It makes no sense to throw half of the nectar away. Just use less.<br/>I have 10 feeders within a 20 x 20 foot area and have counted as many at 50 hummers at once. Where I live in the California Desert (Palm Springs) we regularly have 7 different species coming and going with the seasons.Our year around residents are Anna's and Rufous.
     
  3. I'm so glad you posted this here. I never remember the ratio. And I'm also glad you left out the red dye. All the experts say that the red on the feeder is what attracts the hummers not the red in the liquid. In fact, some experts say the dye can be harmful. thanks!
     
  4. This is the same recipe that is suggested on the Arizona Hummingbird Survey's website. Here's what it says there....Fill your feeder with 1 part white granulated sugar to 3 or 4 parts water. DO NOT use red dye, honey, brown sugar, artificial sweeteners, or commercial "instant nectar" mixes! The solution can be made slightly weaker (1 to 5) in the late-spring/early-summer dry season and slightly stronger (1 to 3) from August through February for migrating and wintering birds. Solutions stronger than 1 to 3 may not meet the birds' water needs and are not recommended. Thank you, Chef Joey Z., for not posting with red dye. I try to avoid eating dyes and additives and I certainly wouldn't feed them to one of God's creatures!! I have a glass feeder and I keep the rest of my food in a glass container in the fridge, I don't want to give the poor birds leeched chemicals from plastic containers either, especially ones that sit in the sun. I have lots of plants with blossoms that the birds like so they feed on natural nectar from plants and not just the feeder's nectar. Thanks for posting such a fun spring recipe that is the proper one for the birds!
     
  5. A tip I learned from Birds & Blooms Magazine years ago is to spread a little olive oil with your finger tip over each feeder hole to inhibit ants, wasps, earwigs, etc. The bugs don't like it and it doesn't bother the hummingbirds. I've done this for years, it's cheap and easy and works.
     
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Tweaks

  1. First let me say, please do NOT add food coloring. It has the red dye that is harmful to birds. Secondly I just wanted to add a suggestion. I have been using this recipe for years, but when it gets real hot out here in Texas, the mixture can turn to syrup in a day. To fix this issue I cut the sugar in half, from one cup to 1/2 a cup, still using 4 cups of water. This works great, because the heat will then sweeten the water a little more, but not to syrup state. The birds love it. Happy bird watching.
     
  2. I’ve noticed that since I stopped putting food coloring in it, I’ve stopped having raccoon problems. The raccoons used to shake the jar, spill the contents on my deck and then lick it up. Since I’ve been making clear stuff, no more raccoon issues.
     
  3. DO NOT USE ORGANIC SUGAR WITH HUMMINGBIRDS!!! It contains higher levels of iron and can mess with their bodies.
     
  4. Save the poor little birds.Use the formula 4 parts water 1 part white sugar for crying out loud. Boil the water to kill the bacteria. Stop the experiments.
     
  5. Organic sugar is safe, it is not toxic. Stop spreading myths. Great article with plenty of research: https://joybileefarm.com/organic-sugar-hummingbirds/
     

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> I was born in northern Ontario in Canada. I am of Irish /Spanish/French Canadian descent. In 2002, myself, my hubby Stu, and our dog Ginger moved to the high desert of New Mexico. I am a Domestic Engineer and a Professional Artist. I enjoy oldies, classical and jazz music. My hubby is a Professional Jazz and Classical Musician. He plays with the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra which is wonderful because I get to see all his concerts and they are free! We are trying our best to live a Green and Sustainable lifestyle which is no easy feat in a desert. I love any cookbook that promotes good health and tasty meals. I enjoy pasta dishes and sweet vegan deserts. I have found that I am very successful in converting conventional recipes to vegan. This has allowed me to enjoy all types of foods that I other wise could not. Some day we would like to relocate to upstate New York and be closer to my family in Canada and my husbands in New York. My DH retires in 9 years, so nothing will stop us from heading home then :-)
 
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