Hummingbird Feeding Tips

Never use honey or artificial sweeteners. Do not use red dyes.

It may take a week or so for a hummingbird to start using a new feeder, especially if they have been feeding from other feeders in the same area. It they continue to feed from only one type, try changing the location of your feeders or taking one down for a while. Hummingbirds are creatures of habit!

Hummingbirds need flowers and insects, in addition to nectar supplied by a hummingbird feeder. To increase your chances of seeing hummingbirds, plant perennial and annual flowers they are attracted to such as honeysuckles, salvia, larkspur, trumpet vine, petunias, nasturtiums, penstemons, fuchsias, and lilacs. Other favorites include bee balm, columbine, Indian paintbrush, and monkey flower. It is well known that hummingbirds are attracted to red flowers, but they also visit all other colors. Geraniums are wonderful hosts for spiderwebs, the building material of hummingbird nests!

A hummingbird's tongue is very long: an average of twice the length of the beak. Therefore they can reach nectar up inside of our tube feeder or all the way down to the bottom of our top-feeding vessels. Our patented flower feeding tube guides their tongue to the nectar in the vessels.

Keep your feeder very clean with PAR·A·SOL ^® Cleaning Brushes. A dirty feeder causes bacteria to rapidly grow, which will cause the nectar to go bad. Hummingbirds will reject a feeder with fermented nectar. Clean your feeder regularly and diligently: every 5 days in cool weather, every 2-3 days in hot weather. We recommend frequently cleaning the glass and feeding tubes using a 1:5 white vinegar rinse. Clean at least every 2 weeks with a 1:10 bleach solution. Always rinse your feeder and feeding tubes very well before refilling.

To discourage ants, try one of our Ant.Moats.

Do not allow solution to freeze in feeder. Store inside during winter.

To make the perfect hummingbird nectar:

Combine 1 part white cane sugar to 4 parts water. Bring to slow boil for 2 minutes. Cool before pouring into feeder. Excess may be stored in the refrigerator.