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Feeders will attract more hummingbirds to your garden, which will give you a lot more pleasure while watching them! Secondly, providing nectar-filled feeders, in addition to natural nectar from tubular flowers for them to feed from, will help to assuage some of the fighting that goes on between them. A great advantage of having a feeder out in very early spring is that once in a while there are “early bird” hummers when it comes to migrating back after winter. If they arrive too early to find natural nectar sources from your garden, you will be doing them a huge favor by having artificial nectar ready for them to dine on. Otherwise, they just might starve.
How often must hummingbirds sip nectar to survive? Hummingbirds derive their energy primarily from nectar or sugar water, while soft-bodied insects and spiders are eaten mainly as a source of protein. It has been documented by researchers that hummingbirds must feed every 10 to 15 minutes from daylight to dusk. They have to eat as much as they can before darkness sets in, as they go into a hibernation stage every night. Their metabolism rate drops at night to enable them to conserve as much energy as possible until morning, otherwise they might starve to death before they are able to feed again.
Feeder Style and Color
Probably the most important decision you will make is what type of feeder to choose. I would recommend a feeder that is easy to disassemble and clean thoroughly. This would probably be a basin style feeder, rather than the inverted bottle style. They are much easier to fill and clean. There really is no rule as to style, because a hummingbird will be attracted to almost anything that has fresh syrup in it. As to color -- RED is definitely in for hummers! Hummingbirds really are attracted to the color red the very most. Even in their choice of flowering blossoms, they first seem to flock to those having deep red and scarlet colors. If you just can’t tolerate the color red, look for an orange maybe a green feeder having red feeding ports. Or, you can also decorate a non-red feeder by tying or gluing some red nylon kite fabric streamers onto the feeder.
Filling Your Feeders with Artificial Nectar Although there are many commercial nectar mixes on the market, it really isn't necessary to purchase those to fill your feeder. Hummingbirds metabolize the natural sugars from plants--glucose, fructose, sucrose--the same way they do artificial {sucrose} nectar. The most widely used recipe for making your own artificial nectar is as follows, and the cost is very minimal:
1 Part Sugar
4 Parts Water
Boil 1-2 Minutes
Cool & Store In Refrigerator
Never use honey! It ferments easily and can cause sores in the hummers mouth. DO NOT use red food coloring in your solution, as there have been some reports that these additives may be harmful to hummingbirds.
When To Put Up A Feeder
Most Hummingbirds are migrant, and visit North America in the warmer seasons. Feeders should be put up in time for their arrival. This will vary greatly depending upon where you are located. In the Florida area they arrive as early as January, and in the Upper Great Lakes they arrive in May. It is important to know the average date they arrive in your specific area to get your feeder up 5-10 days before the average date so they will see your feeder up and take a drink, and possibly stay for the season in your backyard!
When To Take Feeders Down
one of the biggest misconceptions about hummingbirds is the belief that if you do not take your hummingbird feeder down they will not migrate. This is absolutely false! In many areas hummingbirds start to migrate even before the flowers and insects start to wane. Males generally migrate several weeks ahead of immatures (new hatchlings) and females. Migration is done according to changing day length or photoperiod. Actually, migrating hummingbirds may be helped by feeders left up.
Feeder Care
Your hummingbird feeders need to be cleaned, and nectar changed every 3-4 days--more often in hotter weather. If you see black spots inside your feeder this is mold and you will need to scrub it out with a good bottle brush, but if you can't reach it with a bottle brush you can add some sand with water and shake the feeder to remove the mold. You should never use harsh detergent to clean your feeder. Rinse out each time you change your nectar with hot water, and if you do this on a regular basis you should not have a problem with mold inside the feeder. Don't fill the feeder more than half full, because they won't be able to drink it all before it will need to be changed.
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