Anyway I can save a couple bucks and do something good in the process I'm down for. I was surfing the web one day and stumbled across a hummingbird website. One of the articles was about the harmful effects of the red dye in the commercially produced nectar. I had always been under the impression the hummingbirds wouldn't drink it if it wasn't red...boy was I wrong! The red dye was actually hurting the birds not helping them! So this got me thinking about ways to make my own. Which led me to another question, what percent of sugar does the nectar need to be to provide enough nutrition to the hummingbird? Here I found varying answers anywhere from 25% to 50%. So for my recipe I decided to split the difference and go with a 37.5% sugar content. However you can make adjustments as you see fit depending on you region and different species of hummingbirds.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 cups water
Directions:
In a sauce pan bring water to a rolling boil. Add sugar and boil for 1 minute. Stir continuously to ensure all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Pour into freshly cleaned* feeder or store in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
*It is very important to clean your feeder thoroughly every time you refill it. Bacteria that is very harmful to the hummingbirds can grow in the feeder. As long as you wash it every time you refill it the hummingbirds will be fine.
No comments:
Post a Comment