Hummingbird Feeder:

Hummingbirds love feeders. A hummingbird feeder is designed to hold artificial nectar or sugar solution.

Bottle or tube type of hummingbird feeders are usually made of glass or plastic with red plastic flowers as feeding ports. The port will often have a screen in it to keep bees and other insects away from the feed.

Your hummingbird feeder should be feeder is easy to take apart and clean - it must be washed frequently. The color red attracts hummingbirds, so the nectar is often red, as are the feeding tubes. You can attach red ribbon to the feeder to attract them as well. We have fould that once the 'hummers' have located your feeder, that coloring the nectar is not needed.

A Saucer feeder has several openings located above a saucer for the nectar, and they are better than bottle feeders in direct sunlight. Bottle feeders leak in the sun because the air in the bottle expands and pushes the nectar out.

Making Hummingbird Nectar:

Flower nectar is the main natural food of hummingbirds. If you have a hummingbird feeder, you may want to make your own artificial "nectar." Hummingbirds also eat insects, so you so not need to purchase special hummingbird nectar bolstered with vitamins and minerals. A sugar solution will work just fine.

Nectar Recipe:

Make your hummingbird nectar solution by adding one part sugar to four parts boiling water. Cool and it is ready for use. You can store extra sugar water in your refrigerator for up to one week, but left longer it may become moldy.

Do not add red food coloring to the nectar.  Red ports on the feeder, or a red ribbon on top, will attract the hummingbirds.