How to Attract Hummingbirds To Your Yard

Hummingbirds are attracted to bright colors.

Gardeners who enjoy hummingbirds darting about their yards may be interested in ways to increase their visits. Hang a feeder, but ensure that you provide appropriate food and keep it clean. Then wait patiently for the quick and colorful birds to come enjoy your garden.

Instructions

1. Put out hummingbird feeders in shady locations. Fill them with syrup made from 1 cup sugar and 4 cups water. Heat the solution till the sugar dissolves completely. Let it cool and fill the feeder. Replace the solution in the feeders at least every two days when the weather is very hot.

2. Plant a garden that attracts hummingbirds. The birds are attracted to flowers in bright colors, especially red. Plant flowers native to your area and that bloom at different times of the year to attract hummingbirds year-round..

3. Use only natural forms of pesticides. Chemicals sprayed on flowers may be harmful to hummingbirds.

4. Clean hummingbird feeders at least once a week. Rinse them out with a very mild vinegar solution -- 1 tablespoon vinegar to ½ gallon water. Rinse thoroughly with plain water, let them dry and refill them with syrup.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have trouble with black spots inside the feeder, clean with the vinegar solution and let dry completely. Then add one to two tablespoon of rock salt (this is the same kind of rock salt you use to melt ice or to make ice cream and hard ware stores have it) and very hot water. Seal the end and shake, shake, shake. You may need to rinse and repeat.

• Never replace the sugar with honey. It can produce a substance that is deadly to hummingbirds as it decays.

References

• Madison Audubon Society: How to Attract Birds to Your Yard
• Birdwatcher's Digest: Hummingbird gardening tips for your region