These tiny birds are attracted to the color red, so pick flowers that have red, pots that are red or stickers – really anything except for dye! I think they also like bright colors in general (including pink and purple), but red is clearly their favorite. Want Help Attracting Hummingbirds To Your Yard?Įven though the feeder itself is red, planting plants they like nearby helps attract the birds. However, in hot weather, you’ll want to clean them every 4-5 days. In the cooler months, you could do it once every 7 days. How often should you clean your glass feeders? Rinse thoroughly with hot tap water one more time.Run some white vinegar through the feeder to prohibit mold growth.Using a small amount of dish soap and a bottle brush, scrub down every part of the hummingbird feeder, inside and out.Remove any hummingbird food that’s still in the feeder.When you clean your feeders, take care to rinse them out thoroughly so you don’t leave any dish soap or vinegar behind that could hurt those little guys. Making homemade hummingbird food couldn’t be easier, right?! Don’t forget your Homemade Essential Oil Mosquito Repellent to keep the mosquitoes away! Hang your feeder outside in a spot (like your garden) where you can enjoy watching the hummingbirds. Simply combine and boil sugar and water (see the water ratio in the recipe card below).īoiling the water ensures that the ingredients are combined into nectar and removes any bacteria or other organisms that could make your hummingbirds sick.ĭIY hummingbird food is simply cane sugar mixed with water…in other words, it’s natural nectar! Step 3 PRO TIP: I have two 32 oz Best Hummingbird Feedersand I LOVE them! They are the best in terms of being easy to use and clean! Step 2 It’s important to thoroughly clean your hummingbird feeders in between refills to ensure they don’t harbor bacteria or anything else that could harm your hummingbirds. To start the process, I clean my feeders and get them out and ready for the hummingbirds (see cleaning notes in the recipe). It’s as easy as 1…2…3! Are you ready? Let’s go! Step 1 You just need TWO ingredients! This is SO easy! Gather together: Skip buying store-bought hummingbird food and follow these simple directions (or grab the handy printable recipe at the end of the post) to make your own hummingbird nectar! Ingredients Needed The best hummingbird feeders have a bright red color on it, which is a great way to attract the birds to the nectar! Plus, it doesn’t contain red dye! I don’t put red dye in my food since it isn’t needed. Making food for them is simple, takes little time, and is way cheaper than buying it from a store. Bleh.Īfter a little more research, I started making this DIY hummingbird food recipe with 2 simple ingredients – NO food coloring – and have never looked back! Unfortunately, many recipes for homemade nectar contained red dye and other unnecessary ingredients. Since I want to keep hummingbirds healthy, I looked up homemade hummingbird food recipes because I thought they would be safer. Many companies and people put red food dye in hummingbird food to attract the birds (notice how they love red flowers? It’s the color they love!) I used to buy commercial hummingbird nectar from the store, but I read one time that the National Audubon Society says that the red food coloring or dye is not only unnecessary but probably isn’t safe for hummingbirds. Making this homemade hummingbird nectar recipe couldn’t be easier – seriously! It’s so easy to make, that it’s a GREAT project to have the kids can help you do. □ Why Make Homemade Hummingbird Food Instead of Buying it Want to watch other amazing winged friends too? Check out How To Make Homemade Bird Seed Ornaments! NOTE: If you live in a region that is colder than North Carolina’s climate, I recommend waiting to make DIY hummingbird nectar until you start to see the grass turning green, small flowers starting to come up from the ground, and the overnight temperatures staying above freezing. And it means that hummingbird season is starting!Īs soon as I see azaleas and the forsythia bushes blooming in my yard (usually around late April or very early May), I know it’s time to start making homemade hummingbird food, since there’s not much else for them to feed on at that point.Īfterall, once the warm weather starts arriving and the flowers start blooming, the hummingbirds are close behind! I cannot tell you just how much I love spring! Everything starts coming alive again, there’s a fresh smell in the air, and I love the budding trees and blooming flowers. Make Homemade Hummingbird Food Once Spring Arrives
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |