How to Fill and Clean Hummingbird Feeders

Hummingbirds love flower gardens. For many people a flower garden is not an option: no space for a garden; no time to tend it; and perhaps no skill or interest in the garden approach. If you love hummingbirds and want to attract them anyway, hang a few hummingbird feeders.

Hummingbird feeders can be purchased at almost any retail store, such at Walmart, Target, Dollar General, etc. After purchasing the feeders, it is very inexpensive to maintain them. There are several brands of ready to use hummingbird food that you could purchase to fill them with, but why spend the money when you can make your own for less?

1 cup white granulated sugar to 4 cups regular cold tap water is a common recipe for homemade hummingbird nectar. Only white granulated sugar is proven safe to use in hummingbird feeders, so avoid powdered or refined sugar. Some people prefer to boil and then cool the water before mixing the sugar to help deter the growth of bacteria and yeasts. However, this is not necessary because the sugar will actually counteract the bacteria. Unused nectar can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Since hummingbirds prefer red colored flowers, red food dye or red kool-aid can be added to your nectar mixture for color. If your feeders are already red colored, there will be no need to add your own coloring to the nectar.

Refill every three or four days when the temperature is over 80 degrees (F). Refill every two days when the temperature is over 90 degrees (F). In cooler weather, you may not need to refill the feeders until the hummingbirds have drank all of the nectar.

The feeders need to be kept clean, so between every filling, flush it out with warm tap water. Soap leaves a taste in the feeders, so avoid using it. If you think you have to use soap to get them clean and your hummingbirds will no longer drink from them, then soak them in white vinegar, and rinse well.

They will need a thorough cleaning at least once a month. This can be done by soaking them for 1 hour in a solution of 1/4 cup of bleach to one gallon of water and then rinsing well.

Note: If black mold starts to grow inside the feeders, you can use a bottle brush to remove it after soaking the feeders in the bleach solution.