On Wed, 10 May 1995, Deborah Hopkinson wrote:

> I saw my first hummingbird of the year the other day --
> However, we have forgotten how to make the formula used to fill the
> feeders. Could someone send it to me please?


Deborah,

I use a 4:1 mixture of water and white sugar. Boil the water (or get it
hot enough to dissolve the sugar) then let cool after mixing.

You don't need to add any food coloring, etc, etc. since your feeder
probably has enough red to attract the hummers. They should be getting
enough vitamins, protein, and such by chowing down on spiders, mites and
the like, so you won't need to add any additives.

The sugar is a carbohydrate source for them, and should be sufficient. I
tried using fructose (corn sugar) but found that corn sugar tended to get
moldy/fermented more quickly. I understand that you should not use Honey
(these birds are *not* politically/environmentally correct) as it can
cause problems - Tweeters, does anyone know what the problem with honey
and hummers is?

Jon. Anderson
Olympia, WA
anderjda at dfw.wa.gov