For many of us in North America, spring is the time when hummingbirds begin to arrive in our yards. Yippee! Yay! Read the best tips for attracting hummingbirds below.
To be ready for the arrival of hummingbirds in your area:
Scrub your feeders. If there is any leftover dirt or mold in the feeder, wash it with a very weak bleach solution (10 parts water to 1 part bleach). Be sure to rinse the feeder thoroughly.
Prepare nectar: 1 part white cane sugar to 4 parts water. There is no need to boil the solution, but just make sure the sugar is dissolved. Dissolving the sugar in warm water is fine. Make small batches of nectar at a time.
Fill your feeder with fresh nectar and store unused nectar in your refrigerator. Even nectar that is stored in the fridge may become moldy, so if you see any black mold or cloudiness in the nectar, toss it and make fresh. Also, if your hummingbirds stop feeding at your feeder, that's a good sign that you need to put fresh nectar in the feeder.
In hot weather, it's a good idea to change the nectar every other day or so.
Each time you fill the feeder wash it thoroughly.
White cane sugar dissolved in water approximates most closely the nectar in flowers. Do not use honey, brown sugar, or artificial sweeteners. And most important of all, do not use red dye in the nectar. There is plenty of evidence that dye harms the little livers of hummingbirds. Nearly every hummingbird feeder on the market has red parts and that is more than enough to attract the birds. If your feeder is not red, just tie a red ribbon on or above it.
Now, sit back and enjoy the show!
And be sure to take a look at all the fantastic gift products we have with hummingbird art and motifs on them here.