During July and August Georgians typically feed more ruby-throated hummingbirds than at any other time of the year. I know that is the case at my home. For weeks, the demand of sugar water has been so great my wife has been making 20 cups of nectar every other day to keep up with the hummingbirds’ demand for the sugary treat.
Whenever you are feeding hummingbirds, you want to be sure that you are feeding them the right food. With that in mind, here is the recipe for the best hummingbird food. Boil a mixture containing 4 parts water and 1-part white table sugar for minutes. Allow the nectar to cool and store in your refrigerator.
During the extremely hot weather that has been roasting Georgia for weeks, it is best to replace the nectar in your feeders every 3 days or so.
For most of the season 1:4 sugar to water ratio. But when migration begins, increase to 1:3, to sustain those little sweeties through their journeys.
And, leave feeders up (clean and refill) until the first freeze. It will not encourage the birds to stay in that area, but will supply food for those who are more northern, so that they can “fill up” for their journeys. Kind of like gas stations for our automobiles😌.
Shouldn’t that be 4 to 1?
You are correct. Thanks for catching my mistake.
Boil how many minutes?
Boil 3 – 4 minutes.
The information you provided is wrong. It’s 1 part sugar and 4 parts water. And when it’s hit, it’s best to replace nectar daily. Please correct.
Thank you for correcting the error.
Is it 4 water to 1 cup sugar?
You are right! You have the eye of and editor.
I have always read that the ratio of the water and sugar is 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Have I been making nectar wrong? Just checking!
Thank you very much for catching my error. You are indeed correct – it should have read 1 part sugar to 4 parts water.
For most of the season 1:4 sugar to water ratio. But when migration begins, increase to 1:3, to sustain those little sweeties through their journeys.
And, leave feeders up (clean and refill) until the first freeze. It will not encourage the birds to stay in that area, but will supply food for those who are more northern, so that they can “fill up” for their journeys. Kind of like gas stations for our automobiles😌.
Thanks for the tip I will try it and see what happens.