Tips on How to Successfully Maintain a Hummingbird Feeder
From what to feed these beautiful birds & where to buy your supplies, we’ll cover a few tips on how to become a successful hummingbird feeder!
Consider Adding a Hummingbird Feeder to Your Garden
Having a hummingbird feeder in your garden not only adds a fun touch of color and unique accessories to your garden but also allows these wonderful birds to visit your feeder as you watch them fly around right before your eyes!
How to Start Your Feeder the Right Way…
Sanitizing and Setting Up Your Hummingbird Feeder
Be sure to properly wash and sanitize your feeder before setting it up. We don’t recommend using dish soap to clean feeders, as it could leave harmful residue. You can use white vinegar and water solution to soak and clean the feeder. Then, let the feeder air dry. Besides that, setting up your hummingbird feeder is simple, just make sure to follow any instructions that may come with it!
Hummingbird Food
You don’t necessarily need to buy nectar solutions because it’s possible to make your own in a cheaper and more accessible way. All you need is 5 cups of water and 1 cup of granulated sugar. Contrary to popular belief, do not add food coloring to the mix. It’s harmful and adds no nutritional value. Also avoid using brown sugar, honey, molasses, and other sweeteners, as these ingredients can harm hummingbirds!
Boil your water and remove from heat once boiled, then simply add your 1 cup of granulated sugar and stir until dissolved. Allow your solution to cool completely before adding it to your hummingbird feeder. Tada!
Keeping Annoying Bugs Away
Keeping ants and other bugs far away from your feeder saves time and annoyance. Simply hang it up and add a bit of vegetable oil to the entire string, creating a slippery surface so that ants cannot crawl on and into the hummingbird feeder.
Weekly Cleaning
Maintaining a good habit of cleaning your feeder is very important. You should be emptying and cleaning your hummingbird feeder every 2 or more weeks. If your solution has gotten cloudy, we recommend changing it with a fresher sugar-water mixture. Be sure to stay on top of adding oil to the string, to keep ants away!
Supplies
Where should you get your hummingbird feeder supplies? Check out our garden shop selection at the Moller’s Garden Center! We have tons of amazing feeders and handbooks for anyone wanting to learn this new hobby. Along with other beautiful accessory additions to add to your garden.
In Conclusion…
Having a hummingbird feeder in your garden adds a beautiful touch of decor to your garden bed. The Moller’s Garden Center has a great selection of unique feeders and handbooks on birds to get you started!
That brings us to the end of this post, we hope you found this helpful. Hopefully from reading this you can keep your plants beautiful and healthy! Best of luck to you.