Hummingbirds sip nectar like sweet tea. Therefore, nectar must be fresh and changed regularly especially during hot temperatures.
Avoid adding anything with red dye that could harm hummingbirds to their nectar solution; white table sugar (sucrose) and water are great choices.
Wild Birds Unlimited’s Nectar Bottle makes daily nectar creation easy and effective at attracting hummingbirds.
Contents
Nectar Guard Tips
Hummingbirds gulp down nectar by dipping their grooved tongues up to 12 times every second into feeding ports – thus it’s important that hummingbird feeders come equipped with plenty of ports and provide easy maintenance.
Saucer-style feeders tend to work better for this reason since they don’t leak and can be more easily cleaned and refilled. Furthermore, be sure to hang your feeder in an area which doesn’t receive direct afternoon sunlight as this reduces nectar spoilage rates.
Under hot summer conditions, it is generally a good idea to change out your hummingbird feeder every two days in order to prevent fermented nectar containing dangerous mold and mildew toxins from building up inside it. Furthermore, after every use it’s wise to rinse thoroughly with hot, soapy water after each use in order to eliminate mold or mildew growth – this also keeps insects away! A clean feeder reduces insect attraction.
Nectar Bottle
The Nectar Bottle contains an all-natural mixture of water and sugar to attract hummingbirds, without dyes or artificial preservatives, that emulates flower nectar that hummingbirds use as food sources. Refrigerate it up to one week.
Easy and hassle-free way to create hummingbird nectar is by mixing four parts water and one part sugar. Boiling isn’t required but helps dechlorinate the sugar solution and speed up processing time.
Nectar Defender can be used in any Wild Birds Unlimited feeder as well as many other brands of hummingbird feeders, and is even suitable for other brands of feeders. Nectar should be replaced frequently to keep it fresh for hummingbirds; in cooler temperatures this should happen every other day and daily in warmer temps; this helps avoid spoilage that might deter birds from visiting your feeders. It also contains copper micronutrient which naturally prevents spoilage, with no artificial additives, colours or preservatives added or artificial ingredients in any other brands. Nectar Defender contains copper micronutrient which naturally inhibits spoilage while having no artificial additives colours or preservatives added; thus deterring birds from visiting.
Nectar Mix
Hummingbirds burn up energy with their fast-flying wings flapping 70 times per second and need to replenish what is lost through eating premade nectar, although this option can be costly and contain unnecessary ingredients such as red dye or preservatives that could potentially harm them.
Homemade nectar is easy and economical to make at home without using harmful chemicals or preservatives, requiring just two ingredients: white sugar and water – spring or filtered tap water are preferable as they contain healthy minerals that benefit health.
WBU’s Nectar Mix offers the ideal ratio of sugar to water and also contains non-toxic copper sulfate to prevent spoilage and inhibit bacteria and mold growth. Simply fill your bottle with hot or warm water, add one cup of sugar, shake vigorously, then transfer to your hummingbird feeders. Nectar should be replaced weekly during hotter weather to maintain optimal condition.
WBU Hummingbird and Oriole Nectar
Perky-Pet(r), our instant hummingbird nectar product, offers convenience. Formulated from common table sugar (sucrose), these instant nectars closely replicate natural flower nectar in terms of taste. When selecting instant nectar products be wary of those made with honey, artificial sweeteners or brown sugar as these could spoil more quickly and potentially pose harm to hummingbirds.
Orioles will also benefit from using traditional hummingbird feeders with larger ports and perches, but for something extra, try this WBU Oriole Feeder which has slots for grape jelly and orange halves and features a dome for weather protection.
This feeder is easy to fill, clean (top rack dishwasher safe) and hang – plus comes with a lifetime guarantee! An ant moat helps keep insects at bay, while bee guards slide under each port to stop bees entering the feeder. Be sure to regularly update nectar supplies (ideally once every week or more frequently during hot weather) to avoid spoilage of nectar supply – typically about once weekly should suffice but more often may be necessary depending on circumstances.
