To make hummingbird nectar, follow a precise recipe.
Mix 1 cup sugar (refined white sugar) with 4 cups water until the sugar dissolves.
Do not add any dye or other additives into the mixture.
The Spruce / jskbirds
Insects
Small insects, larvae, insect eggs, and spiders are critical food sources for hummingbirds.
Sap
Whennectar is scarce, hummingbirds will sip tree sap from wells drilled by woodpeckers.
Ashes and Sand
Some hummingbirds have been observed eating ashes and sand in small quantities.
More close observation and study are needed to determine how critical this food source may be for hummingbirds.
Fruit
Certain ripe or juicy fruits may attract hummingbirds.
Suarez, Raul K, and Kenneth C Welch.Sugar Metabolism in Hummingbirds and Nectar Bats.Nutrients,vol.
743, 2017. doi:10.3390/nu9070743
Nutrition: Nectar is sweet but insufficient.
Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History.
Brice, A.T.et al.Pollen Digestibility by Hummingbirds and Psittacines'.The Condor, vol.
681-688, 1989, The Cooper Ornithological Society.
doi:doi.org/10.2307/1368120
Hummingbird Feeding FAQs.
