I started making homemade hummingbird nectar and filling up hummingbird feeders last year. It’s something that brings me a lot of joy.
It’s wonderful to see the hummingbirds flying around, playing, fighting and just being small and mighty birds!
In addition to hummingbirds, I’ve seen chickadees, orioles, sparrows, robins and even woodpeckers having a drink of nectar!
We do have some birds that stop by during the spring and fall migrations. The thing that surprises me is many birds stay in Vegas year round.
They’ll stay in the triple digit temperatures of summer and the lows in the 30s and sometimes 20s in the winter.
I make sweeter nectar during the winter months (1 part sugar, 3 parts water); spring and fall I make the standard 1 part sugar, 4 parts water recipe; and during the really hot days of summer I make 1 part sugar, 5 parts water for extra hydration for the beautiful birds!
I’ve noticed since using water infused with molecular hydrogen that the nectar stays fresher longer. My guess it’s due to the antioxidants.
It’s still important to change the nectar often and to make sure that the hummingbird feeders are properly cleaned and sanitized before adding fresh nectar to them.
And PLEASE do NOT buy the store bought stuff with red dye, preservatives and who knows what else in them.
Making homemade nectar is so easy and so inexpensive.
I buy white granulated sugar from Costco or Winco.
Don’t worry about using white granulated sugar. The hummingbirds get their nutrients from eating insects and drinking nectar from flowers. The homemade nectar helps give them energy so they can forage for flower nectar and hunt for insects!
NOTE: It’s very important NOT to use honey, maple syrup, golden syrup, brown sugar, turbinado, molasses, artificial sweeteners or any sweetener other than white granulated sugar. We don’t want to HARM the hummingbirds.
I add 1 part of sugar and 1 part of boiled filtered water that I make using made the Hydra-Home Unit into a 1 quart mason jar.
Once I whisk the ingredients together until it looks like simple syrup, I fill the rest of the jar with the “Hydrogen Water 3” setting on the Hydra-Home Unit.
I cover and chill the jar in the freezer for an hour and then I fill up the hummingbird feeders if I need to use it immediately.
If not, I cover the jars and place them in the refrigerator for the next day.
Ideally I would make nectar daily, chill in the freezer and serve it to the hummingbirds.
Sometimes that isn’t possible so I’ll make two days worth of nectar.
Either way, the birds are happy!
During the summer, I change the nectar daily. Spring and fall it’s every two or three days. Winter it’s once or twice a week.
I made nectar this morning. I should have taken photos. The next batch I make, I’ll be sure to photograph the process.
Or maybe I’ll make a video…
Karmyn
P.S. The Hydra-Home Unit makes the “Purified Water” as well as the “Hydrogen Water.” Own yours by visiting:
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