Dos and don’ts of making hummingbird nectar

Tomorrow is the last day to enter our giveaway so it’s not too late to post a picture you took of a bird to our Facebook page and win a free hummingbird feeder. Since we’re on the subject of hummingbirds this week, I decided to dispense some useful advice about making hummingbird nectar. While many of you are definitely pros, it’s easy to get into bad habits or forget that things have changed a bit.

Hummingbird nectar is an easy thing to buy at the store, but it’s almost just as easy to make homemade nectar for your hummingbird feeders. An easy recipe for nectar is to mix one part sugar and four parts water. Then, boil, let it cool and you’re all done! Nevertheless, when you make things for birds, you want to make sure to do everything right, so here are a few do’s and don’ts to keep in mind.

Do use clean or purified water

It’s perfectly fine to use tap water if you’re confident the water supply is clean, but you shouldn’t make the nectar with water that’s filled with chemicals. Instead, use a water purifier or some other water source.

Don’t put hot nectar in the feeder

Extremely hot nectar or even mildly warm nectar could do damage to the inside of the feeder. The high temperatures might melt the interior of the feeder and that in turn might cause some chemicals to seep into the nectar itself. That’s why it’s always a good idea to let it cool outside.

Do store your hummingbird feeder in a refrigerator

If you have a lot of hummingbird feeders or sometimes find yourself refilling them frequently, it’s a smart to make more than you need and store it. When you do store it, make sure you put it in a sealed container in the fridge. Also, don’t store the nectar for longer than a week.

Don’t use any artificial sweetener or honey

Using sweetener other than sugar can be dangerous to the hummingbirds because they are of different composition, weight and texture. They are not capable of digesting everything.

Do clean your hummingbird feeder often

I’ve covered this extensively on the blog because it’s so important. You must clean your bird feeder often to make sure there’s no mold or harmful bacteria for the birds. For hummingbird feeders, a good rule of thumb is to clean whenever you replace the nectar.

Don’t microwave the nectar

While it might seem like microwaves can help warm your nectar much quicker, it’s a very bad idea. If you don’t boil over the stove, it can ruin the chemical composition of the nectar and make it come out different.

Bonus: To dye or not to dye

This one is neither a do nor don’t. People were once discouraged from dying nectar because some of the dye contained harmful additives, but that’s no longer the case. Although dye is safer these days, it’s still unnecessary to actually do it. Hummingbirds are more attracted to the red on hummingbird feeders than the red of the nectar.