I bought a hummingbird feeder for my yard, mixed up the nectar according to the directions, and hung the feeder up. Not a single hummingbird has ever come. The nectar ended up evaporating from the feeder. I saw hummingbirds at my neighbor's feeder...what could I possibly have done wrong? Thanks.
Hi, I am not an expert on hummingbirds but here is what I have learned. It seemed to take a bit of time to attract them to my yard but once I planted butterfly bushes near them, they found my feeders. (Not sure if the plants helped- the flowers were pink, white and lavender. It took about a month for them to find me.) Also, if the nectar is "old", they won't drink. In hot weather, you really need to stay on top of cleaning it. (No soap!) If the weather is less than 80 degrees, discard the old food and rinse the feeder once a week. 80-90 degrees, every four days. Over 90 degrees, you may have to change it every other day. Hope that helps. If you have any more questions, send me a message and I will try to help. Good luck! They are wonderful to watch.
Spot on with the food -- it can get back quickly in hot weather. If you have any, try hanging baskets on shepherd's hooks -- or large flower pots with colorful annuals. Put those around the feeder and see if it helps. I know that our hummers love the huge lilies that are blooming right now.
One other thing I forgot to mention- if you place your feeders near windows, you may want to put a decal on the window. I had a feeder near floor to ceiling windows and one male hummingbird fought his own reflection. Luckily, he did not hurt himself and moved the feeder to where I could see it but it wasn't directly in front of the window.
Thanks for the tip Travelingbooklover. Ours love the Butterfly Bush the Buddleia and Sage, but leave the feeder alone. Will try to freshen things up. Gardengater
I do recall when I first hung a feeder it took a while for them to find it, just be patient. Definately make sure the nector is always fresh. I also found that when I stopped using the store bought nector I got many, many more humming birds. You can mix it yourself, take 4 cups of water and bring to a boil, add 1 cup of sugar and stir till disolved. Let cool and put out. I color mine red (with food coloring) which they say not to do but I find the hummers don't come if the nector is clear, at least not for me. Good luck.
Thanks for those tips, terry. I love those little buggers and they live close by. I'll make my own feed from now on. Gardnegater
Yes, thanks for the tip! I thought I was doing such a good thing when I bought nectar with calcium at WalMart. The label said it helped them lay strong eggs! Man, am I gullible or what? I will make my own tonight and clean the feeder. I didn't realize it went bad. Wrennie told me a while ago that home made nectar was just as good as the store bought stuff. I thought the calcium was a good idea though. Evidently they don't like it!
I made home made nectar too, but I don't boil mine. I use well water-I'm not sure if it makes a difference. I notice that my Hummers spend equal amounts of time at the feeders and flowers. Try some red Geraniums, Bee Balm, Trumpet vines (if you have the space), Canna's or other trumpet shaped flowers. They are attracted to red. And make sure your nectar is fresh.
Hi all, Hummer need more than feeders and a few flowers. They need habitat for protection, rest, food etc. Plant lots of red in clumps to attract them. Salvias are a can't miss as well as Monarda (Bee Balm). Thanks, Ron
Just a follow up... When I got home tonight I made a fresh batch of juice and cleaned the feeders. Boy do we have hummers now!!! I can hear them chattering outside the window and it makes me smile :-D Deanna :-D They are also enjoying my pink petunias and red hollyhocks
When do Hummingbirds start migrating south from KY? My one hummingbird feeder, put up in July had one hummer coming to it but sometimes another hummer would chase and neither stopped (east, shaded front porch). Decided to put 2 feeders in outside my double kitchen windows (west side of house)full sun. As I don't sit in the kitchen but at least 3 or 4 times a day...I'm seeing one rather small hummer that looks very dark on his/her entire back. Another one had come that has a red band around his/her neck. Haven't seen this one again. The small dark hummer was feeding here 4x yesterday. I'll be making my feeder juice too from now on. What month will the hummingbirds start flying south from Kentucky? BJ
Is this a baby Hummingbird? Is this a baby Hummingbird? It's the rather small with entire back very dark in color. When it started coming to my feeder, it would put it's beak into the feeder for long periods, not quick dips like the larger hummers. This is the first time I've gotten to observe them up close. Such a thrill! What do I have here? BJ
No matter what kind you make, do not make too much up ahead of time or it will go bad. I only make what I am going to use.
