How many cups of sugar and water should there be in a hummingbird feeder?
I have a hummingbird feeder outside my window, and I want more humming birds
1 part sugar to 4 parts water. In other words, 1/4 cup of sugar to one full cup of water. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil, pour sugar in slowly and stir until sugar melts. Remove from burner and let cool *completely*
It is not necessary to add the red dye; in fact, the red dye is often not good for the hummingbirds. Red in your recipe for hummingbird nectar isn’t necessary to attract hummingbirds either, as long as your feeder has some red on it they will find it. You can easily add red to a feeder just by tying some strips of red ribbon to the feeder or some red silk flowers.
This mixture should be changed daily (if the temp is above 93), as it can easily grow mold spores, particularly if it’s in full sun.
If you are putting up more than one feeder, place them so that the hummingbirds cannot see one feeder from another feeder; this stops a lot of the competition.
Below is a chart that shows different temperature ranges and how they will effect how long your hummingbird nectar will stay fresh.
High temperatures …….Change nectar after
71-75 6 days
76-80 5 days
81-84 4 days
85-88 3 days
89-92 2 days
93+ change daily
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Comments
Comment from Cosmo A
Time September 27, 2010 at 6:46 am
Saw your question and don’t know the answer myself but wanted to make sure you realized how important it was to get the mixture right. Hummingbirds have such a high metabolic rate they’ll starve if there aren’t enough calories (sugar).
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Comment from just common sense
Time September 27, 2010 at 7:13 am
1 part sugar to 4 parts water. In other words, 1/4 cup of sugar to one full cup of water. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil, pour sugar in slowly and stir until sugar melts. Remove from burner and let cool *completely*
It is not necessary to add the red dye; in fact, the red dye is often not good for the hummingbirds.
This mixture should be changed daily as it can easily grow mold spores, particularly if it’s in full sun.
If you are putting up more than one feeder, place them so that the hummingbirds cannot see one feeder from another feeder; this stops a lot of the competition.
You might enjoy this link: http://www.rubythroat.org/FeedingHintsMain.html
References :
Loved and fed hummingbirds since i was a kid
Comment from m_kindlund
Time September 27, 2010 at 7:22 am
i’ve always used a 1sugar:4water but make sure that you heat the water to boiling, and then allow it to cool before filling your feeder and if the water last more than a week be sure to change it otherwise you could make the birds sick (lots of icky stuff can grow in sugar water)
** i’ve also read the boiling isn’t neccesary as long as you change the water frequently if it’s not all been drank
the sugar water can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
References :
http://www.hummingbirds.net/feeders.html#recipe
Comment from Marco D
Time September 27, 2010 at 7:38 am
well I’ve givin them 1and a half before but i dont think they should have more than a half @ the most, so thats what I’ve been giving them for the last 2 years
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Comment from Debbie W
Time September 27, 2010 at 8:25 am
The standard is one cup of sugar to three cups of water. Some people I know like to boil the water, so the sugar dissolves quicker. In clear feeders, use a few drops of red food coloring. If you have a feeder that has a red-colored glass, it’s not necessary to add food coloring. It’s important to store any unused food in the refrigerator, or a cool place, to prevent it from souring.
Too much sugar in the mixture can cause crystallization in the water, and clog the feeder, especially if the sun hits the feeder for any length of time during the day.
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Comment from Lynda S
Time September 27, 2010 at 9:14 am
1 part sugar to 4 parts water. In the spring, I put a little more sugar in it so they can find it faster. After they are back for a couple of days, I mix 1 to 4.
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Comment from All 4 JR
Time September 27, 2010 at 6:25 am
1 to 1….water and sugar. The sweeter the better.
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