Hummingbird Feeder Maintenance
by Andrea Pereize
Feeder Maintenance
Hanging a hummingbird feeder means assuming a certain amount of
responsibility for the well-being of a fragile and trusting animal. If you
are not prepared to follow the rigorous maintenance routine outlined
below, perhaps you should consider planting a hummingbird garden, instead.
Cleaning Experts tell me 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; a bottle brush can be
very helpful. Do not use soap - hummers apparently 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 remove mold. Discard any unconsumed sugar water - 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 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.
At least 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.
When to Take Down the Feeder
Hummingbirds will not delay migration if a feeder is present; they are
driven by forces more powerful than hunger. If you live in the
southeastern U.S., leaving a feeder up might attract one of the western
hummers that visit the region in small numbers every winter. The Pacific
coast of the U.S. (and extreme southwestern Canada) has a population of
non-migratory Anna's Hummingbirds; if a feeder is maintained over the
winter, hummers will visit it year-round. Some other locations near the
Mexican border also have winter populations of several hummingbird
species. See the About Hummingbirds section for more information.
Ants
They will find your feeder, unless you take precautions. Buy a dripless
feeder; they really make a difference. Some feeder models feature a
built-in ant moat that may be filled with water; don't use oil, since
chickadees and other small birds like to drink from ant moats. You can
make your own moat by running the hang wire through a hole in a spray can
top (use a dab of silicone sealer or hot glue to seal the hole). But the
best defense against ants is to paint the inside bottom of an ant moat
with Tanglefoot, a very sticky goo sold at nurseries, and install the moat
open side down. This is extremely effective against ants, poses no risk of
a bird getting stuck or contaminated, and is low maintenance, since it
keeps the goo from being compromised by rain and dust.
I no longer recommend using duct tape or castor oil around suction cups or
on hang wires. There's too much chance of a hummer brushing against it
during feeder fights.
Bees, Wasps, and Yellowjackets
It was recently discovered that bees and wasps are attracted to the color
yellow. Since many hummingbird feeders have yellow plastic "flowers" or
other parts, try removing such parts or painting them red before hanging
your feeder in the spring - once bees learn where food is, they fly right
back to the hive to tell all their friends, so avoiding their attention up
front works best.
You can buy a feeder with bee guards. However, those tend to be the
drippiest feeders available (Perky-Pet "Four Flowers," etc.), and once
they start dripping the bee guards are useless, since puddles form in the
flowers outside of the bee guards, an easy meal for insects.
The only sure defense against bees and wasps is to absolutely deny them
access to the syrup. In June 1997 I replaced my Perky-Pet 210-P with a
HummZinger, which is inherently wasp-proof because the syrup level is too
low for insects to reach, but easily in range of the shortest hummingbird
tongue. I also bought a Perky-Pet Oasis feeder, a copy of the HummZinger
with several design flaws, but just as effective against bees. Rubbermaid
makes an inexpensive basin-type feeder that can be hung or suction-cupped
to a window. Basin feeders are also available from Opus and other
companies, and all are effective in denying food to bees and wasps. All
are also easy to clean.
If you choose not to try a new feeder and wasps persist, first try moving
the feeder, even just a few feet; insects are not very smart, and will
assume the food source is gone forever. They may never find it in its new
location, while the hummers will barely notice that it was moved. If that
doesn't work, take the feeder down for a day, or until you stop seeing
wasps looking for it. You'll see hummers looking for it, too, but they
won't give up nearly as soon as the wasps. Also, reducing the sugar
concentration to 1 part sugar in 5 parts water will make it less
attractive to insects, but probably won't make the hummingbirds lose
interest.
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