The history of hummingbirds
How to maintain a feeder and make the syrup they love.
by Don Graves

The first commercially made hummingbird feeder was designed by Laurence J. Webster of Boston for his wife, who had read a 1928 National Geographic story about feeding hummers from small glass bottles. Sometime between 1929 and 1935, Webster had his design produced by an MIT lab glassblower (possibly James Ryan). In 1947, National Geographic ran an article by Harold Edgerton about his newly-invented strobe flash, which included photos of hummingbirds at Webster's feeder. Interest was aroused, and in 1950 the Webster feeder was offered for sale by the Audubon Novelty Company of Medina, NY.

I have learned from experts that hummingbirds will starve rather than consume spoiled feeder syrup, so a dirty feeder isn't likely to cause harm. But it may cost you the pleasure of their company if they abandon your yard for more reliable food sources elsewhere.

Every filling, flush the feeder with hot tap water. Using a bottle brush to clean can be very helpful. Do not use soap to clean - hummers don't like the taste, but bleach will remove it if you have this problem. Visually inspect the entire feeder for black mold; a bleach soak (see the next paragraph) is the best way to clean out mold. Discard any unconsumed sugar water "syrup" - if the birds are not emptying your feeder between cleanings, just partially refill it. If the sugar solution in your feeder turns cloudy, it's spoiled and needs to be cleaned out and replaced When the temperature is over 80 degrees (F), clean and refill every three or four days. Over 90?F, it might spoil in two days.

Once a month, clean the feeder thoroughly with a solution of 1/4 cup bleach to one gallon of water. Soak the feeder in this solution for one hour, then clean with a bottle brush. Rinse well with running water and refill. Any remaining traces of bleach will be neutralized by reacting with the fresh syrup, and there's no need to air dry before refilling. Bleach is both safe and very effective.

Use one part ordinary white cane sugar to four parts water to make a syrup. It's not necessary to boil the water for making the syrup. The microorganisms that cause fermentation don't come from the water; they are transported to the feeder on hummingbird bills. Store unused syrup in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This mixture approximates the average sucrose content (about 21 percent) of the flowers favored by North American hummingbirds, without being so sweet it attracts too many insects.

Don Graves may be contacted at dgravesenterprise.wordpress.com Click here to view more of Don Graves's articles.