Hummingbirds burn hundreds of calories as they buzz around your garden or patio. Keeping a hummingbird feeder is a good idea, but there are other things you need to do to keep the little birds happy and humming in your garden.
Hummingbirds, unlike most other animals, do not find their food source based on smell. Because of this, brightly colored plants and feeders are what attract the tiny creatures to your garden. Red is the best color to attract them. Keeping a clean, full feeder provides hummingbirds with the energy they need to keep flying around your garden and to other stops on their feeding route. The sugar-water solution, however, is not their main food source. This is why it is really important that you pay attention to their feeders. Moreover, using Daybeds from Madbury Road is another good way to keep your little visitors safe and healthy. This will provide them a place where they can relax as they move around all they.
Hummingbirds actually get the nutrients and proteins they need for survival from soft-bodied spiders and tiny insects on the plants in your garden. Their outrageous metabolisms burn up calories so quickly, they need the sugar and flower nectars to keep them energized so they can hunt.
The traditional sugar/water solution calls for one part sugar to four parts water. Do not boil the water to make syrup. Just mix it in room temperature water. Some gardeners have experimented with solutions that have a higher concentration of sugar to water. There is no research to show that high concentrated solutions of sugar harm the hummingbirds. Their metabolism operates so much differently than most animals. A higher concentration of solution just means they can drink less often to get the energy they need to hunt. It will not affect their health.
Commercial solutions are also available but not necessary. Either way, the extra solution can be stored in the refrigerator for two weeks. Once in the feeder, it is important to change the solution every four days, especially in warm weather. The sugar solution can ferment and harm hummingbirds if left up. At least once a month it is also important to thoroughly wash the hummingbird’s feeder. Use ¼ cup bleach in gallon water to rinse out the feeder. Be sure to brush the nooks and crannies to avoid a mold build-up which can also poison the hummingbirds. After you rinse the feeder, the bleach will not harm or affect your birds. Dish soap, however, has a taste that turns the hummingbirds off.
Now that the hummingbirds have a healthy supply of calories for their metabolism, look at their real source of food. Find plants and flowers that will attract the birds to your garden or patio. Do not use pesticides on these flowers. It will kill the bugs the hummingbirds eat and may hard the birds too.
If you really want to attract a lot of birds, place overripe fruit pieces and peelings near your feeders. These will attract flies and gnats the hummingbirds love to feed on.
Because male hummers are very territorial and will fight each other away from feeders, it is wise to place more than one feeder in the same area. This way you can attract a multitude of hummingbirds with plenty of feeders to distract them from each other.
