It's that time of year to hang your hummingbird feeders. If you hang multiple feeders like I do, buying the mix or liquid can get expensive. Those little buggers have a bottomless pit! They must eat more than their body weight every day.
Here is a safe and frugal way to feed your friends.
Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
Directions for making safe hummingbird food:
Mix 1 part sugar with 2 parts water and bring to a boil to kill any bacteria or mold present. Boil one minute.
Cool and fill feeder.
Extra sugar water may be stored in a refrigerator.
Red dye should not be added.
For further hummingbird reference, click here.
Also, for more frugal recipes be sure to visit The Grocery Cart!
Great tip! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI love making this. My grandma used to make her own hummingbird food. I can't believe people pay all that money for sugar water!
ReplyDeleteI love feeding the hummers also! I have been using a 4 to 1 ratio for quite awhile now. The article was very interesting. I did not know that you could switch to 2 to 1 and they would come less frequently. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI love this! Now I just need to get a feeder or figure out how to make one of my own.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me that I need to change the nectar in my feeders!
ReplyDeleteI usually make my own, but I bought a couple of boxes of the mix really cheap (25¢ per box of6-8 packets) at a garage sale. Once it's gone, I'll go back to making my own. :)
Laurie glad you could use it! :)
ReplyDeleteAmy I cant believe it either. Not when you have a lot of birds draining the feeders quickly.
Heather I use a 4:1 ratio sometimes too. But it's been grey, cloudy and rainy around here lately. Not a lot of flowers in bloom and they need a stronger formula. The article was very informative for me too. For years I had heard to use the 4:1, but when you think about the different flowers, it all makes sense.
Tannis google "how to make hummingbird feeder" and it will give you some ideas. But, I prefer the bowl type feeders. They dont drip.
Annie I have found the powder on clearance before for .25 a box at grocery stores, Family Center, WalMart, etc at the end of the year. I usually buy it when it's that cheap also. But after it's gone I make my own, since it's so much cheaper. I also got sugar at Hen House really cheap not to long ago too.
This is how DH has been making it for years. Ever since we moved to AZ, we have so many hummingbirds. Wwe so enjoy watching them while we are in the pool.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe Lisa. I will have to try it. I've put the store bought stuff out, but no hummingbirds just bees and ants. I have flowers in the yard, but maybe not the right ones? The are 4 o'clocks....that's what Mom called them anyway.
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