How to make hummingbird nectar or food

I enjoy watching hummingbirds and I just re-hung our hummingbird feeder on the house the other day. If you also enjoy watching hummingbirds and want to know how to make nectar or food for them, this is how you do it properly and safely for the birds!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• hummingbird feeder
• bag of white cane sugar
• red dye
• purified water
• cooking stove pot
• wooden mixing spoon
• measuring cup
• tupperware container

1. * Grab your measuring cup and your cooking pot. Take your measuring cup and pour 1 cup of white cane sugar into it. Now pour the sugar from your measuring cup into your cooking pot.

2. * Take the same measuring cup you used for the sugar, and now measure out 4 cups of water. Pour the four cups of water into your cooking pot. We want to mix one part white cane sugar to four parts water.

3. * Take your cooking pot with the sugar water solution and bring it to a boil on the stove. We want to boil the sugar water solution to prevent the fermentation of the sugar and to keep the solution from going bad.

4. * Stir the sugar water solution with a wooden spoon as it boils. You want to stir the mixture until all of the sugar is dissolved and you can not see it anymore.

5. * Now you want to let the sugar water solution cool down to room temperature before you fill your hummingbird feeder. Wait an hour or so to make sure that it is completely cool.

6. * Take the cool sugar water solution and add two drops of red dye to the solution. Mix this in with the wooden spoon until the sugar water is all red.

7. * Take your cool, red, sugar water solution and pour it into your hummingbird feeder. You can use a smaller cup or a funnel to help you get all of the sugar water solution into the feeder and to help you avoid making a mess.

8. * Store any unused sugar water solution in an air-tight tupperware container. Place the container in the refrigerator. The sugar water solution can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Tips & Warnings

• Try to find a measuring cup that will measure at least 1 cup
• Slowly mix your sugar water solution as you boil it to keep it mixing evenly
• To help attract hummingbirds to the feeder, use red dye in the sugar water solution, but only use 1-2 drops.
• To help attract hummingbirds to your garden and your feeder, plant flowers that hummingbirds like.
• Only use 1-2 drops of red dye in your solution
• Use filtered water

[naturenut]

on 8/16/2009 You can also buy a hummingbird that has a lot of red color for the design if you don't use food coloring.

[jschiavoni]

on 7/9/2009 Little hummers dehydrate quickly in warmer climates and during exteme heat so it is recommeded to use 1 part sugar to 5 parts water. This will provide the extra water the little jewels need. They still feed at flowers and get plenty of natural nectar to sustain their health. NEVER use any food dye. To attract hummers simply tie something red to the feeder - a red ribbon, red silk flower, whatever.

[grammastacie]

on 6/7/2009 thanks, I'm going to make some now! 5* and recommend!

[writetruth]

on 5/29/2008 These a Great Tips for feeding hummingbirds!! We used to have a lot of hummingbirds here in Oregon, but I haven't seen one around here in years... 5 Stars ~!~