I need a good hummingbird food recipe

[thumpersfriend]

I can't seem to get humminbirds here and I use the red package stuff but I was wondering if someone has a great recipe that gurarantees hummingbirds? Thanks!!

 

[jkovick]

My mother just does sugar water with red food coloring in it and she attracts all kinds of humming birds.

 

[Harley Chick]

I do the same thing, except I boil the water and sugar (4 parts water, 1 part sugar, then add the red food coloring). We get lots of hummingbirds here.

 

[Rollwithit]

Even easier....the four part recipe but I don't boil my water or add the food coloring. They come back every year!

 

[thumpersfriend]

Thanks, I'll try the sugar and water! Hope it works.

 

[Beckysc]

I also don't add the coloring.

 

[Virgo10]

Check this out:
http://www.jelleyjar.com/garden/hummingbird.html

We had hummingbirds last summer. It was the first time I've ever had one hang around for an extended length of time... about 8 weeks. Here's a picture I took of it when it was sitting on our peach tree.

I really hope they come back this year. That reminds me... it's time to clean the feeders and put them back out.

Roberta

 

[Lewski709]

Originally posted by jkovick
My mother just does sugar water with red food coloring in it and she attracts all kinds of humming birds.

and a little pear or peach nectar works great too. Coloring in the water though, is very important.

 

[thumpersfriend]

Thank you VIRGO 10 for the great website. I guess I better take my feeder out of the sun since this is supposed to be bad. Thanks everyone!

 

[Kermit]

I've heard that it's okay to keep the feeder in the sun, but you're supposed to change the water every day, especially if it's in the sun. My mom makes her own hummingbird food. She makes up a lot of it at once and keeps it in the fridge and changes the food each morning. She always gets lots of birds.

 

[Virgo10]

Originally posted by Lewski709
and a little pear or peach nectar works great too. Coloring in the water though, is very important.

On the coloring, I have to disagree. I never added dye to the water last year and they still stayed here. The glass was even clear (some of the feeders are red).

I think what kept them around was a bush called Bee Balm:

http://www.wiseacre-gardens.com/plants/perennial/beebalm.html

I had the red kind. What a great addition to any garden. It bloomed for nearly 4 months!

Roberta