Posted: 7/24/2007 3:00:39 PM EDT
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I want to make my own liquid for my feeder. Whats the ratio of sugar and water? Anyone know? |
Huh? The homemade "nectar" will last far more that two days. It takes the hummingbirds about two weeks to empty our feeder. I see them feeding at it every day there is still liquid in it. To answer the OP's question, we mix 1/2 cup sugar with 1 cup boiling water. They seem to like it as we frequently see multiple hummingbirds fighting over our feeder. |
I use 1-1/3 cups of sugar to 32oz. of water, for a 1:3 ratio. I used to use a 1:4 ratio, but they were drinking through it too fast. They can get their additional water from other sources. This resulting mix fills a Nalgene bottle right to the top, and I refrigerate it. I have to fill the 8-9 oz reservoir every evening, so my mix lasts about 4 days. |
Dang! 1:2 ratio sugar to water? That is getting mighty potent! No wonder they don't drain it very fast! |
I do the 1 cup water to 1/2 cup sugar mix and the Ruby Throats fight over it. YMMV. 
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You should clean the feeder and change the sugar concentration every 3-4 days... sugar and water makes a good breeding ground for all sorts of nasty. Clean feeders often. Hummingbirds will fight over any feeder. |
Yeah, okay. I've been doing it this way for several years. Oh well. 
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Did your feeders have yellow on them? Yellow will attract hornets, wasps, bees, ect. I find red feeders with no yellow do not seem to attract as many bees. |
 If you have been doing it for a thousand years you are still following a bad practice. Sugar and water make a perfect breeding ground for bacteria and mold, frequent cleaning of feeders and changing of food is a must to make sure you do not accidently harm the birds. If you don’t want to take my word a 2 min. Goggle search on hummingbird feeding will tell you the same thing. |
My dad would remove the stupid yellow spouts for that very reason. He would then add a little wire perch so that the birds could land and drink. I remember trying to count the birds at a feeder once, I lost count around 30. |
| The research I did when I first got the feeder said much the same thing, but not to use any cleaners to wash the feeder unless you had to...well rinsed with warm running water should be all you need to do between fillings. Any cleaner residue would be bad for the birds too. |
Using white vinegar is OK. Rinse well afterwards. |
I use HummZinger feeders which are dish shaped and can be put in the dishwasher if needed, between those cleanings I use white vinegar and boiling water and then a good rinse. I really recommend the HummZinger feeders... more expensive but they work well and are easier to deal with.  www.aspectsinc.com/2_Hummingbird.htm |
I got the larger version of that feeder. It has 8 holes. I don't like it very much because it doesn't hang level. When the bowl gets low, only 1 or 2 of the holes are within reach of the liquid. I find that my PerkyPet feeder is more popular anyways. 
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I got the 4 port feeders which hang fine I guess because they are smaller… did not see much point in getting more ports as the birds fight so much you rarely get two feeding at once. The PerkyPet looks like a good feeder except for the yellow. |
The reason I opted for the larger 8-port was that I don't want to refill it quite so often. My birds drink 8oz per day easily, and if there was more available, they would probably drink 10oz. Since I only fill the feeder once a day, and it only holds 8-9 ounces, they are out of luck. I was hoping that the larger one would not have to be refilled more than once every 2-3 days. The funny angle that it hangs is annoying though. I have found that the more birds that are present, the greater the likelihood that they will share better. It isn't uncommon to see 4 birds at the perky pet and 5 more hovering around waiting their turn. I tend to see more fights when there are fewer birds. |
Honestly, I haven't had issues with bees or wasps, perhaps due to the screens, and I have 3 different feeders, that particular PerkyPet being by far the most popular for whatever reason. I have switched them all around too, and they always gravitate to the PerkyPet... |