get those hummingbird feeders out....sugar mix recipe in thread

[Pogo]

Will the feeder attract ants, mosquitos, squirrels, etc.?

Ants most likely, and more problematically, yellowjackets if it has yellow on it. Yellow attracts yellowjackets, hummers are attracted to red. There's no reason to have yellow on a feeder but the feedermongers make 'em that way for us, thinking it's cute. Best to rip off those fake yellow plastic flowers if you can.

If you do get yellowjackets, move the feeder to another location. Yellowjackets are kinda stupid and the hummers will figure out the new location first.

You can keep the ants down by keeping it refreshed often (you'll often find drowned ants inside when you clean it out) and making sure it's not dripping.

 

[BlackSand]

I have been feeding mine for over a month now.
I have 3 - 32oz feeders and I have to fill them up every single day because we have so many.
We go through 40 pounds of sugar a month.

I put mine up pretty early as well ... They help discourage the barn swallows from building nests under the porch.
I like barn swallows ... They are a beautiful bird and eat a lot of bugs ... But they are not friendly when they put a nest on your porch.

.

 

[Sunni Man]

Ants most likely, and more problematically, yellowjackets if it has yellow on it. Yellow attracts yellowjackets, hummers are attracted to red. There's no reason to have yellow on a feeder but the feedermongers make 'em that way for us, thinking it's cute. Best to rip off those fake yellow plastic flowers if you can.

Thankfully, the feeder I purchased is red. ....

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Ants most likely, and more problematically, yellowjackets if it has yellow on it. Yellow attracts yellowjackets, hummers are attracted to red. There's no reason to have yellow on a feeder but the feedermongers make 'em that way for us, thinking it's cute. Best to rip off those fake yellow plastic flowers if you can.

Thankfully, the feeder I purchased is red. ....

Was gonna say they like the color red

Got some fake plants hanging in my living room against the window and they have red "flowers" birds and squirrels are constantly trying to get to. Birds flutter against the window, squirrels prop themselves up against the glass looking longingly at them. When I still had a screen door the squirrels would climb up it.

 

[peach174]

I use this.
Fill it up with water and they drown.
You can get them online or at hardware stores. They work great.
You can also make a moat yourself.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Ours have been back for a while now. Didn't look at the link yet but a couple of points -

Don't use anything BUT white sugar, boil the mixture and let it cool.
During hot weather, change the it often.
Clean the feeder well but make sure you rinse and rinse and rinse and then rinse some more.
If you get ants, slather some cooking oil on the hanger well above the feeder.

 

[Sunni Man]

Don't use anything BUT white sugar, boil the mixture and let it cool.
During hot weather, change the it often.
Clean the feeder well but make sure you rinse and rinse and rinse and then rinse some more.
If you get ants, slather some cooking oil on the hanger well above the feeder.

Why do you need to boil the mixture?

 

[mudwhistle]

Thanks for the recipe.

I just bought a feeder yesterday.

Question: Does the feeder need to be hung in a shaded area?

Nope.

 

[Pogo]

-

I use this.
Fill it up with water and they drown.
You can get them online or at hardware stores. They work great.
You can also make a moat yourself.

As far as keeping ants away, from anything, in an Ahimsa spirit -- vinegar. Ants won't go near vinegar. Got ants in your kitchen? Put a wall of vinegar in their path, they'll be outta there in a hurry. Spill something sweet? Wipe up with vinegar. No ants.

Of course you don't want vinegar getting in your hummer nectar, but it's invaluable in cleaning out the fermentation that may take place in there between cleanings. I've got an old toothbrush to get in the crevices and a special brush (looks like a tiny bottle brush) to whisk the feeder holes.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

This Little Guy Crashed Into Our Window Bored Panda

 

[Pogo]

I have been feeding mine for over a month now.
I have 3 - 32oz feeders and I have to fill them up every single day because we have so many.
We go through 40 pounds of sugar a month.

I put mine up pretty early as well ... They help discourage the barn swallows from building nests under the porch.
I like barn swallows ... They are a beautiful bird and eat a lot of bugs ... But they are not friendly when they put a nest on your porch.

I don't get barn swallows but I have a small jug mounted sideways (pointing out) on the porch wall. Every year wrens build a nest in there.

 

[Ravi]

My hummers just left for the summer so I won't see them again until fall. I don't use a feeder but have lots of flowering trees and bushes that they love and dive bomb each other over.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

20 Vivid Hummingbird Close-ups Reveal Their Incredible Beauty Bored Panda

 

[Sunni Man]

I use this.
Fill it up with water and they drown.
You can get them online or at hardware stores. They work great.
You can also make a moat yourself.

They have these ant moats for sale on Amazon.

Everyone raved about how well they worked and gave the product 5 Stars. ......

 

[BlackSand]

I don't get barn swallows but I have a small jug mounted sideways (pointing out) on the porch wall. Every year wrens build a nest in there.

I have a wren that builds her nest in my Mexican Petunia (Rullia Blue) I keep in a pot under the porch every winter.
She is a cute little thing ... Always busy.

.

 

[Pogo]

I use this.
Fill it up with water and they drown.
You can get them online or at hardware stores. They work great.
You can also make a moat yourself.

They have these ant moats for sale on Amazon.

Everyone raved about how well they worked and gave the product 5 Stars. ......

I rarely ever get ants -- a couple get inside but that's it. I'm far more concerned about yellowjackets than ants. The wasps will actually keep the hummers away, whereas the ants just get drunk. I'd rather not kill them anyway, even if they did show up in numbers. That's what the vinegar is for.

 

[Sunni Man]

I put mine up pretty early as well ... They help discourage the barn swallows from building nests under the porch.

So hummingbirds will drive off other birds? .....

 

[Pogo]

I put mine up pretty early as well ... They help discourage the barn swallows from building nests under the porch.

So hummingbirds will drive off other birds? .....

I haven't seen that. I have seed/nut feeders for the other birds in between the hummer stations. They pretty much ignore each other.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Don't use anything BUT white sugar, boil the mixture and let it cool.
During hot weather, change the it often.
Clean the feeder well but make sure you rinse and rinse and rinse and then rinse some more.
If you get ants, slather some cooking oil on the hanger well above the feeder.

Why do you need to boil the mixture?

One reason is that it makes it easier to get the sugar into a solution. Some say it stops or slows the fermentation process but I don't think that's true because that is caused by the birds themselves. That always seemed strange to me but there you are.

Some years ago, the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum found that birds were dying from other reasons than just the red food color that we all now know is dangerous. They found that boiling stopped the deaths of birds in their own enclosure.

Another point is that hummers don't live on flowers or nectar. They are insect eaters first and the nectar is a source of quick energy.

If you find a hummer, try warming him in your hand and if he's comes to, offer the nectar, preferably by 1cc syringe.

I have rehabbed hummers, including tiny chicks in their nest. I've actually had people cut off the entire branch the nest is on and, believing the parents have deserted it, bring it in with the chicks in the next. Maddening, to say the least because the parents have not deserted the nest. They're nearby, watching.

Anyway, hand raising tiny hummers is just incredible. There is special nectar that is a complete food, very expensive but without it, they would die.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I put mine up pretty early as well ... They help discourage the barn swallows from building nests under the porch.

So hummingbirds will drive off other birds? .....

I haven't seen that. I have seed/nut feeders for the other birds in between the hummer stations. They pretty much ignore each other.

Nor I. They scrap with each other and they avoid the wasps that feed on their feeders.

Would love to have barn swallows build on my house.