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buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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Posted by
joela 7 (
My Page) on
Thu, Apr 30, 09 at 14:18
I was told the 1 part sugar to 4 parts water wasn't good for the hummers. That you should buy the nectar because of the added vitamins and such. Is this correct information.
Thanks
joela |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| Who told u that a sales person? I have used 1 pt sugar, 4 pts water for years. Added food coloring is not good either. I did switch to pure cane sugar instead of beet sugar. Homemade sugar water is just fine for your hummers. Karen |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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Joela, if you'll read the posts here, you will find nearly every one uses just sugar water. One part sugar to four parts water. That's proven safe for your hummers.
Rob |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| The "nectar" they sell at the store is pretty much sugar water with red food coloring. If you like feeding hummers, you'll save a LOT of money buying regular cane sugar and making it yourself! And yes, it is better for the hummers that way too, so it's a win-win scenario. |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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Joella
Even licensed banders use the plain sugar and water mix. The commercial mixes do contain red dye #40 which I believe has been outlawed in Canada. Penny |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| We got our first two hummers three weeks ago Wednesday. (Male & Female) I was out preparing beds and I was surprised to see them come buzzing by my face! It seemed a bit early to me, but this year we wrote in on our calendar. I quickly went in and made a batch of sugar water. (1pt cane sugar to 4pt water) When it was cool enough I poured it in a feeder and took it to my little friends. :) They drank like I've never seen! We do not use the store bought nectar. I think the hummingbird society also advises a white sugar solution and NOT the red dye stuff from the store. Sugar's cheap! :) And the solution is SOOO easy to make. Take 4 cups of water and heat on medium in a sauce pan, add 1 cup of sugar and stir 'til dissolved. Don't boil or you'll get sugar syrup. Remove from heat and let cool. That's that! |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| Thank you to everyone who responded. That is what I thought. I even looked on a hummer sight and it said the store bought nectar spoils quicker. I've always used the home made kind, I just wanted to be sure. It also said on that sight that boiling the water was not necessary. I've always done that though. Thanks, joela |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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- Posted by kimcoco Zone 5, Wisconsin (My Page) on
Wed, May 6, 09 at 16:04
| I recently read that in early spring you can use 1 part sugar to 3 parts water - give them a little extra energy & calories they need after the long migration. Otherwise, later in the season switch to 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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kimcoco
Yes, 3:1 or 4:1 ratio are both perfectly fine. I use the 3:1 until it gets really hot and then I swtch to 4:1 because they get their water from the nectar and there are more plantss blooming later on so they don't need the stronger mix. Penny |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| Responsible Wild Bird store owners do not sell the died hummer nectar. Nor do we sell the stuff with the extra "nutrients" The ready to use nectar we sell is a convenience item. The hummer sugar is refined differently to dissolve completely in cold water, and again is a convenience item. Any store that still is selling red dye containing hummer food is not a place I would shop at for any birding supplies. The companies who still sell this stuff are too lazy to try to educate the consumer. |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| None of the stores whether they be local or big box in my area sell anything but the commercial red dye nectar mix. I would be hard pressed to not purchase other supplies from them. I would have to make all my own feeders. I do make some of my seed and hummer feeders and I do grow some plants for summer seed but I don't have the ability to grow enough plants to provide all the seed I would need for the winter and early spring. Penny |
RE: buy nectar or home made food for hummers
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| I do boil my water and bring it back to a boil (a few bubbles for 30 sec.) after adding the sugar. The boiling kills any bacteria, yeast or fungus that may be in the water or sugar. |
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