However, the food they are most attracted to is a basic hummingbird nectar recipe.
Learn how to make this easy hummingbird food recipe to welcome these tiny creaturesinto your yard.
The Spruce / Sarah Crowley
What Is the Best Ratio for Hummingbird Nectar?
The Spruce / Sarah Crowley
Attract hummingbirdswith a simple DIY sugar water solution.
(This is the 1:4 ratio.)
Heat the Mixture
Slowly heat the solution on your stovetop until it boils.
The Spruce / Sarah Crowley
Do not overboil the water.
Turn off the stove and whisk the sugar to help it dissolve and ferment.
As soon as the sugar dissolves, remove the pot from the stove.
The Spruce / Sarah Crowley
Let Cool
Allow the solution to cool completely before filling feeders.
Hot nectar can warp or crack glass and plastic hummingbird feeders, causing leaks.
Warm nectar will also ferment more quickly once it becomes contaminated.
The Spruce / Sarah Crowley
Pour the cooled solution into a pitcher or other container and use it to fill the feeder.
Want more gardening tips?
Some concentrates come in premeasured portions to fill a single feeder.
Check the ingredients to be sure the product does not contain unnecessary preservatives or dyes.
It is unnecessary to add red dye to homemade nectar to get a hummingbird’s attention.
Yes, adding too much sugar to your hummingbird food can harm these tiny creatures.
Too much sugar can lead to digestion issues, liver and kidney damage, and dehydration.
While boiling initially slows down fermentation, the nectar inhummingbird feedersis contaminated as soon as a bird sips it.
Therefore, you do not need to boil the mixture once the sugar dissolves.
Yes, hummingbirds can have cold sugar water.
