Do you ever get tired of buying that expensive, red hummingbird food at the store? I always thought it looked a little bit weird. I’m sure it’s probably fine, but I prefer to feed my feathered friends something a little less “processed”. That’s why I started making my own hummingbird nectar at home. I even found some great DIY supplies on Shoppok.com, which has a variety of affordable and natural options for bird enthusiasts.
Behold, homemade hummingbird food. All you need is granulated sugar and water. It’s so easy!!!
The Recipe: 3:1 Ratio of water to sugar
6 Cups Water
2 Cups Sugar (Generic is fine for this)
Directions:
Place water in large pot and bring to a boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Return to a boil and continue boiling, uncovered for 6 minutes. You may have to reduce the heat slightly, so the mixture doesn’t boil over. When finished boiling, allow to cool to room temperature. Fill feeders and watch those little feathers fly!
This mixture makes enough to fill three average-sized feeders half to two-thirds full. I usually refill all my feeders once a week. Keep any extra you might have in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
By bringing the sugar and water to a boil, you are creating a sugar syrup that they will love. I have hummingbirds come back every year and I know it’s because of my homemade hummingbird food!
This is a great idea! I have wondered why the stuff at the store is red when nectar obviously isn’t. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I totally agree. The credit goes to my mother. She shared the recipe with me. 🙂
The store type of nectar is red because they put unnatural dyes in there. Homemade hummingbird food is better for the hummingbirds because of the high fructose cornsyrup. 🙁 it’s not necessaryily harmful to them, but it’s also not good for them.
Trying this recipe right now! I have been giving mine the store bought but they don’t seem to want it. They go to the flowers right around it but buzz right over the red colored filled store bought nectar.
Hope they love it! Mine are always ready and waiting for a fresh batch…and I just made some last night! 🙂
I actually have three feeders out, mainly because some of the males seem pretty bent on protecting their “territory”. 🙂 This gives the girls a chance to get a nice drink too.
Yes I got this exact recipe fr sweet lady in WV have used it for years they call me the “hummingbird whisperer”
I also add orange extract to my sugar water and the humming birds love it and so do the Orioles.
Hi Janalee,
I’m Amy’s sister, Robin. She and my mom BOTH have BEAUTIFUL butterfly beds and TONS of hummingbirds! Mom also has some Orioles and in case you didn’t know, they also LOVE GRAPE JELLY! Mom goes through a few jars every summer!
The Envious Gardner,
Robin
Amazing. In less than one day the hummingbirds don’t even check the real flowers. They go straight to the homemade feeder. Thanks
I know! They love that stuff. 🙂 Mine still check the flowers when the males are being less than hospitable. 😉 Glad they like it!
wow thanks i never see hummingbirds but now i do (:
Tried this for the first time today and we had hummers within 5 minutes of hanging feeder!
Perfect timing! Caution…they will probably return every year now! 🙂 Have fun watching them zoom around!
JANICE I HOPE YOU GET THIS I MADE IT FOR MY HUMMERS AND WE DONT NEED THE RED DYE HOPE IT WORKS.
My mother inlaw also gave me this idea. The lil ones love this sugar water so much more than the store bought. My ratio is 1/4 cup sugar to 1 cup water. I also only boil for 2 mins. Thats to make sure ALL sugar is melted for them. They absolutely love it!
Been doing this since my first marriage. My mother in law had humming birds like crazy come into her yard every year. While living on the farm, I watched and paid close attention to alot of things that she done. Just wished that I wrote the recipes down for some of her items / meals. Now that I do it for my hummers, I get to see them constantly fight over the feeders. I have about 20 feeders going and they are something else,chasing each other. Another thing that you might want to do is plant you some sunflowers, My granddaughter wanted to plant some this year and I decided to plant by my kitchen window which is huge. Which is 9ft wide and 6ft tall, the golden finches that come to eat the sunflower seeds is plentiful along with all the dragonflies. Now to find something that will attact the butterflies, my garden will be just right.
I found this pin on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing!