Susan's Hummingbird Gardens

Archive for the ‘Hummingbird Feeders’ Category

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We found a really good guest article about how to keep wasps and bees and ants out of hummingbird feeders. The author has an engaging style and gives practical and easy-to-follow information on exactly what to do.

Controlling Hummingbird Feeder Pests: Ants, Bees, And Wasps

By: Keri Carrillo

The same sugar solution that attracts Hummingbirds to your feeder, will also be attractive to ants, bees and wasps. Not only will they drink, they will also contaminate the nectar and sometimes even keep the Hummingbirds from using the feeder. Ants getting inside the feeder will drown and contaminate the nectar as their bodies decompose.

As for bees and wasps, I have seen bees and wasps at my feeder so thick that the Hummingbirds couldn’t feed at all. Thumping them with a rolled up newspaper seemed to help a little, but every time I thumped one, it wasn’t long before it was replaced by another. Besides being a little too risky, after a while it begins to take a toll on your feeder! So, let’s examine some alternative possibilities to controlling pests at your Hummingbird feeder. Read the rest of this entry »

Most of you probably know that hummingbird feeders should be filled with a 25% sugar to water mixture, but did you also know that hummingbirds actually avoid nectar flowers that contain less than their preferred 25% ratio? I mean, how would they know? Well, I suppose it’s like people who drink coffee with 4 lumps of sugar… they can certainly tell the difference if there are only 2 lumps! 

That’s just one of the neat little facts in this guest article. It also includes 8 tips for selecting hummingbird feeders, and where they should be located. Check it out…  

Important diet supplement

Hummingbird feeders dispense liquid, not seeds. The mainstay of a hummingbird’s diet is made up of insects and spiders. The liquid in your feeder is more like “emergency rations” to your birds. During a typical day a hummingbird will collect nectar from about 100 different flowers. Read the rest of this entry »

Hummingbird enjoying hummingbird feeders

Did any of you know about wooden hummingbird feeders! I certainly didn’t.

This is a fairly short guest article, but it offers some pretty good tips for selecting the right hummingbird feeder for your property, and for all those hummingbirds you will attract… and watch.  

Choosing the Right Hummingbird Feeder

You have learned how to make nectar to feed hummingbirds, but what is the best way to feed them?  All bird feeders are not created the same and hummingbird feeders are special types that are specifically suited to their feeding habits.  If the hummingbird cannot reach the nectar they will not come back to feed.  You don’t want other animals eating the nectar either.  These are some of the considerations that should be made when deciding on the style of feeder that you want to use. Read the rest of this entry »

Test Tube Hummingbird Feeders (courtesy of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ lucybug33/3298165379/

Back in 2007 I wrote an intro to a guest article about homemade hummingbird feeders. Rather than using recycled prescription vials, I suggested using test tubes. But, I’m glad I came across the following article because it goes into test tube hummingbird feeders in greater detail.

I know you can’t see it very well, but there is a copper holder with two test tube hummingbird feeders hanging on the right side of the feeder pole.

We might even give it a try around our place this year!

Test Tube Hummingbird Feeders – Glass Or Plastic?

As long as there have been test tube hummingbird feeders, the most commonly asked question is; “Should I use glass or plastic tubes?” Is there a difference in attracting hummingbirds? Does one material last longer than the other and is one easier to clean? Read the rest of this entry »

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Here’s Peter Tommerup’s description of a baby bird rescue – a baby hummingbird!

This is actually a pretty amazing story about a baby hummingbird that was found on a sidewalk.  He couldn’t fly, so I took him under my wing.  At night, he would come home to our house for safety.  During the day, he was in the backyard of the house near where I found him.  About 4 days after I found him, I was holding him in my cupped hands when his mama came by to feed him.  She had seen me around, I guess, because she just flew over, perched on my hand and then fed him.  This happened a number of times, so I called a friend who is good with a video camera, and he came over to film some of the amazing goings on that I told him about.

Read the rest of this entry »