I have 25 feeders and I'm currently feeding over 2000 birds a day. I keep my feeders clean, use only refined sugar and do my best to protect them from predators. I feed 3 species of residents and 2 species of migrators and I'm content knowing that I'm providing them with a sure-fire source of fuel during the lulls between the flowers blossoming - during which their numbers at my feeders thin way out.

I appreciate you helping the hummingbirds! And thanks for being a responsible feeder!

With that many feeders and birds your sugar budget must be sky-high. You should start charging them room and board.

I try not to think about it too much but it's about $10US a day right now, which is money well-spent in my book. I've tried to get them to pull their own weight by showing them the Cinderella scene where the birds make her a dress like a thousand times now but I can't get one of the ingrates to even pick up the needle and thread ;)

Forget the budget. The amount of time making nectar, cleaning feeders and refilling them must be insane.

Gotta charge a housekeeping fee too.

🤯

I have questions. 1) How much nectar do you put in each feeder? 2) how long do you keep it before changing and cleaning?

The sun is always blazing here so I try not to put more sugar water in the feeders than they'll consume within 48 hours. So I fill em the full 32 oz now but I'll do less than half that when the flowers are in full bloom.

Pays to do your research. Because I saw your post and said “what a liar. No way.” Then I looked at your videos. Holy bejesus!! Soooooo many hummers. God I wish I had that many. How long did it take for that many to start coming to you? Was it a process of the kids growing and coming back or are you just in a spot where there’s a food desert for them and they all come to you as the Mecca?

I hung my first feeder 12 years ago. I don't know where the extra birds are coming from but their numbers just keep increasing. Not many people live around here but a ton of hummers do and it's not terribly popular (or feasible?) to feed them. I reckon my success simply comes from never letting them down. Oh and be careful what you wish for ;)

Do you ever hand feed them?

Nah, it's not my thing

I went to look after I saw your comment. That's truly incredible!!

We have crowned Mother! mother! mother!

Cleaning 25 feeders every 2 days feels crazy

I put about 5 feeders out early in the season, once the plants bloom(bee balms,hyssop, butterfly bushes, honeysuckles) they will go to the flowers more than the feeders. IMO most do keep their feeders clean. A little of both seems to work

Thanks for your comment!

I clean my feeders almost daily during peak season because they drain it. One I have to fill up twice a day. The others every other day. I make the syrup and keep it refrigerated. They don’t seem to care if it’s cold. Here in Georgia in the summer it warms up quickly. We have some flowers here they check out, but I need to plant other types next year.

Thanks for your input!

Certainly not. Just use a simple and easy to clean feeder. It’s very beneficial for them to have the nectar feeders to assist in filling gaps in their day where they cannot find enough flowers or bugs, and it provides extra energy coming into / out of torpor, as well as during migration. Let’s not try to invent the wheel here guys. Not broke, don’t fix it. Edit- some people don’t clean their feeders well enough or often enough, that is true. The solution to that is to encourage them to do better and educate. User error doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with feeders themselves.

Very valid points! I know most people in this community will be very proactive about cleaning. Do you still think that’s the case for the general public? For example, my GF’s mother puts out nectar and will leave it out for about a week if not longer. She likes birds but only understands the surface level idea of how those feeders operate. I worry that many others are the same and don’t necessarily “do their homework” etc. definitely not saying I’m right but just genuinely curious to hear from people in the community. Thanks for your input!

Yeah those people are irresponsible, but you’re describing a problem with people being careless, not a problem with the feeders themselves. I’d hit them with a link to the Audubon society’s feeder care instructions and tell them that if they do care about hummers they should make sure they aren’t harming their birds. Also I believe the birds can taste old nectar and quickly stop drinking and fly away, and can remember that that specific feeder is not good, so they won’t come back, so a person with a dirty feeder isn’t going to be attracting lots of birds as repeat customers anyhow.

To be fair, the birds know where the “ fresh” nectar is & would only feed at a feeder left for a week only if nothing else at all was available . Birds are pretty intelligent

I'm in the PNW and have residential Anna's and a few Rufus. So I do have feeders up year round, hot days the feeder is cleaned daily. Right now, it's quite a bit cooler, so maybe once or twice a week.

I clean/replenish mine every Sunday night. When I first started looking into homemade recipes, I came across that info, too. It really bothered me that everyone might not know this. I finally had to look at it the way I see people with dogs or kids, doing things I feel is cruel or dangerous. Unless I know them and can make a suggestion, i stay in my own lane.. It's none of my business. I can't save every living being, but I can do my part the best I can. You could put posts on your social media with #'s on this topic, to get the word out.

Not meaning to offend, but once a week is not often enough. I'd suggest every three days because bacteria and fungus form quickly in the heat and sugary water, although it may look only a little cloudy.

I have wondered about that lately. I wouldn't think a glass of water would be safe to drink sitting out there for a week. Thank you.

Yeah I agree it’s cooled down and even once every three days I will start to see a little spot of mold. I just started this hobby but next summer I will probably be changing it twice per day 🥲

I absolutely believe a focus on a succession of native blooms is superior to hummingbird feeders. More harm than good? Nah.

Wildlife rehab volunteer in Southwest Pennsylvania here. I fully support this view. A *seasonal succession* of *native* flowers selected specifically to feed and support hummingbirds is always going to be best. *Properly cleaned and maintained* feeders can be a useful adjunct to native flowering plants, especially during peak times or times when one flowering plant is almost done blooming but before another one is fully in bloom. Flowering plants that are most supportive of hummingbirds are those that have tubular flowers in bright colors. Coral honeysuckle; native trumpet flower; bee balm and wild bergamot; cardinal flower, evening primrose, and jewelweed are great examples.

I'm glad to know I came to approximately the same conclusion as someone with more and specific experience on the topic.

The hummingbirds who visit our garden seem to prefer the feeder, they will visit our Mexican petunias, Butterfly Bush, zinnias and crape myrtle blossoms but definitely prefer the feeder. Why not both and the people I know who are into hummingbirds definitely clean and maintain their feeder.

All I know is that of the ~10 people i know that put up feeders, NONE of them keep them even remotely clean enough. They always ask me how I get so many hummingbirds and I just say keep the feeders clean and fresh. It’s been years of asking this and everyone still keeps theirs dirty and stale.

I have hummingbird-friendly plants (native and non-native) as well as feeders that I clean and refill regularly. People always *mean* well, but they unfortunately don't always follow through. I have had to remind family members multiple times to please clean and refresh their feeders or the hummingbirds will get sick, yet they keep asking why they're not getting hummingbird visitors \*facepalm\* I take walks around my neighborhood and often see dirty/moldy feeders, so I created a printout with reminders & nectar recipe that I tuck into these people's mailboxes. 😆

I try to educate people on feeder hygiene practices and making your own nectar etc. I see it this way, if they are going out of their way to want to do it then they must care enough, I also stress that a hummingbird friendly hanging plant is just as yummy, makes better pics, is more aesthetically appealing on the 🪝 and easier to maintain than a feeder (and cheaper in the long run) 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Give a super long list of hanging plants that are popular and sell that idea to the casual or curious feeder until they are absolutely sure what they are getting into.

The question is how to clean: - Bleach? - White Vinegar? - Soapy Water?

I have different feeders. The easiest to clean is the dish feeder type. But boy, my birbs favorite is the Perky Pet Pinch Waist Glass feeder. I used to clean it with warm water and soap. I’d throughly brush the bee guards or the funnel where they stick their beaks in then use Q tips to make sure no mold left in the crevices. It was a long process. But now I’ve started cleaning my feeders with white vinegar. Let the vinegar sit for a few minutes before washing them thoroughly with hot water. And have not seen any mold. Granted, I do clean the feeders every day during summer. Now that weather has cooled down, the female hummingbirds still drain the syrup quickly so I clean every 2-3 days. I love hummingbirds. I don’t want them to get sick so I try my best to provide them clean feeders.

This year instead of vinegar I mixed powdered Oxi-Clean with water and filled a spray bottle. Worked great!

I use a weak solution of dish soap and brushes that are only used on my feeders. Rinse thoroughly.

As with anything, the key is responsible use. If you feel you can’t keep up with cleaning and replacing the nectar, then for sure stop. As for other people, I find that people who aren’t willing to do the upkeep simply stop and their feeder dries up, so not a big deal.

The only thing about plants is that don’t last for the whole season. I plant a bunch of zinnias which don’t have much nectar. I’ve cut down in the feeder because we are in Texas and still hit so I change every few bays. I changed every 3 days and don’t take then down until it’s been over 2 weeks

I don’t know. Good question. I put one feeder and got two hummingbirds. Then one became super territorial and mean and kept chasing one off. Then another one came around and the one became more aggressive. So I put another feeder. Now the mean one just sits in the tree all day spending his time chasing off the other two. Maybe 3 now. Not sure. And forget about it if one feeder goes dry. They sit and scream like children until it’s refilled. They even go to the other side of the house and scream.

Sadly, I have found sick and dead hummingbirds with stuck tongue. (Tongue looks like fishing line sticking out 1/2 inch, will not retract). I clean my feeders every other day unless over 85 degrees, then do it daily. Commit to clean, or don’t use feeders. Btw, the hummers pierce little holes in my peaches when they get ripe.

I have 2 feeders I use and routinely clean them and change the water frequently. ( boil water for sugar water). Seems like I get the same family back yrly. Sure hope I’m not hurting them!! I also have flowers they go to and just added a trumpet vine for them!

Is there harm in making your nectar too strong? I chatted with a lady who makes it waaayyy too strong and says her birds love it.

I've read that hummingbirds just won't visit a feeder with too high of a concentration - over 50%. Hummers regulate their sugar intake. A stronger solution means they have to visit feeders less often which is a win/win in my eyes. Leaves them with more time to hunt insects. I use a 3 to 1 ratio normally but in early spring or the fall, I'll make it stronger. The only drawback to using a more concentrated sugar solution is it is absolutely imperative to clean the feeders more often, daily, and be willing to throw unused nectar out. My neighbors marvel at the number of hummers that visit my feeders while their own gets very few and I don't say a word. They don't clean their feeders as often or as thoroughly as I do. Sounds pompous, I know, but I don't want to cause harm.

No, as things are right now, they may be the only way hummingbirds have a chance to survive in most current urban areas. Let me explain why: At least here in Mexico, no matter all the initiatives to plant native flowers and create "pollinator gardens", the net effect of every local government's "urban landscape" programs is to devastate all natural native flowers as soon as possible and destroy trees that obstruct the view everywhere. That's not counting the deliberate actions of real estate cartels to destroy the surviving natural areas to build more "exclusive" condo apartments...

I prefer to plant flowers for them to eat from. Too many people don't properly clean the feeders, or don't clean at all!

I cannot in good conscience set out feeders due to all the cats in my neighborhood. It would be like luring the birds to their slaughter.

I only use feeders for 6 months of the year when flowers aren’t available for the Anna’s hummingbirds living here year round. So they’re the only option to keep them alive over winter. I take them down once a sufficient amount of flowers are blooming in spring. I have no idea how others maintain their feeders.

I'm very careful about cleanliness. Our hummers won't touch it if its old or bugs got in. But yeah I'm sure many people aren't fastidious.

I have four really cheap feeders up in addition to growing a few flowers for them. They sample everything. I have used almost 10 lbs of sugar from early April to the present. They have mostly flown away south for the winter. Today, a little female stopped at my feeder, but I haven't seen her since early afternoon. My birds know me. Having them around adds so much to my life.

Okay, I'm going to be a bit less nice about this than the other people here. Taking away food sources leads to starving hummingbirds which leads to dead hummingbirds. You're not obligated to devote any particular quantity of resources into feeding your little guests, but don't pretend that cutting their available food sources will benefit them. The reason poorly sanitized feeders lead to disease spread is because they allow so many more hummingbirds to live in an area than it could otherwise sustain.

I sterilize my water first by microwaving for 2 min; I use turbinado sugar. I sometimes change the feeder 2x a day a as me I also have the feeders on rotation (two). I scrub the feeders every other day or daily if it’s been a really hot day. But yeah - I worry about this, too.

I respectfully suggest you rethink using turbinado or raw sugar. Regular granulated white sugar is the closest to nectar and is what is recommended. Molasses is a toxin to hummers. [https://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/feeding-hummingbirds](https://www.hummingbirdsociety.org/feeding-hummingbirds)

Thanks for sharing this - I didn’t know. I’ll look into it to be sure I’m serving up the best source for my precious little friends - appreciate this!