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Maintaining
a Hummingbird Feeder
essential information |
| |
| Proper care of hummingbird
feeders requires a significant commitment on your part. Before
you start feeding hummingbirds, make sure you will be able to
spend the requisite time. If you do not follow the instructions
below, visitors to your feeders could leave with a serious
and deadly fungus infection This infection causes the
tongue to swell, making it impossible for an afflicted hummingbird
to eat. Ultimately, it will die of starvation, slowly and painfully.
A mother can pass this infection on to her babies; they will
die of starvation also. |
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| What
hummingbirds eat: The
typical hummingbird diet consists of small, soft-bodied insects
(aphids, gnats, small spiders, tiny fruit flies, etc.) and nectar
from flowers. Natural nectar is mostly sucrose. When you put
up a feeder, you are providing quick, dependable access to a
form of sucrose. Although "artificial nectar "is not
nutritious, supplementing a hummingbird's diet with sugar water
from a feeder can give it vital, renewed energy to continue
searching for nutritious food. When natural nectar sources (flowers)
are not readily availabilities, sucrose from feeders may aid
survival. |
| |
| Selection
of a Feeder: A
feeder should not have unreachable areas. Be sure that all
interior surfaces can be cleaned with a bottlebrush. (Brushes
come in a range of sizes; purchase ones designed for small areas,
like the insides of baby bottles.) Keep brushes clean by rinsing
in hot water. Never use soap or chemicals to clean a bottlebrush
or a feeder. |
| |
| How
to make feeder food: Boil
sufficient fresh water in a clean saucepan that has no food
or soap residue in it. After the water is cooled to a temperature
that is safe to handle, measure out the appropriate amount (example:
four cups of bottled water) into a clean glass or stainless
steel container. Add one part sugar (one cup) to this container
and mix thoroughly until all sugar granules are dissolved. Allow
this mixture to cool to room temperature before pouring it into
a feeder. The mixture must always be four parts boiled water
to one part sugar. Boil the water before mixing, evaporation
may alter the ratio of sugar to water. Too little sugar will
not provide the necessary calories; too much sugar can harm
the liver and kidneys of hummingbirds. |
| |
| Use only granulated
white cane sugar and fresh water. Store bought hummingbird food
contains preservatives; avoid it. Never use honey which is fatal
to hummingbirds; do not use food coloring, artificial sweeteners
or other forms of sugar. Make sure the mixture is at room temperature
before hanging the feeder. |
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| Feeder
location and care: Hang
the feeder in a shady area. Sun will cause rapid spoilage of
the sugar solution. Select a spot that is safe from cats and
other predators. If you put a feeder close to a reflective window,
hummingbirds might fly into the glass. Vaseline can be placed
on the hook or hanging wire to prevent ants from climbing onto
the feeder. |
| |
| The feeder must
be emptied and thoroughly washed in hot water (but not hot enough
to damage plastic parts) according to the following schedule:
in cool weather
(below 60 degrees F), clean and refill with fresh sugar water
after three days,. In warmer weather,
the feeder must be cleaned after two days. In
hot weather (above 80 degrees F), daily cleaning
might be necessary, Use a bottlebrush to scrub all surfaces.
Rinse completely, making sure that every speck of foreign material
is washed away. If the feeder contains removable plastic feeding
flowers, these must be taken out and scrubbed as well. Hummingbirds
put their tongues into a feeder to drink; sugar water is conducive
to the growth of pathogens. If there is mold, slimy accumulation
or cloudy water in a feeder, hummingbirds can die from using
the feeder. Follow this rule: both the sugar solution and the
feeder must be so fresh and clean that you would drink the contents
yourself. |
| |
| If you accept the
commitment to properly maintain a feeder, you will be helping
hummingbirds, perhaps extending their lives. In turn, they will
express appreciation by entertaining you with their colorful
presence, amusing chatter and remarkable aerial displays. But,
if you can't maintain a feeder properly, you will be doing great
harm by hanging one. Instead, offer flowers (fuchsias in hanging
baskets, shrimp bush, sage, etc.) which will attract them without
the work of feeder maintenance. |
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| Call
the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach (714)
374-5587 for further hummingbird information and/or if you find
an injured, sick or baby hummingbird that can;'t fend for itself. |
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