FWIW, I had read a long time ago that boiling helps prolong the life of the sugar water, i.e., helps keep it from 'going bad'. I think the idea is not to sterilize it to make it safe for hummingbirds but to reduce the number of microbes feeding on the sugar. I can understand the logic behind that, but I don't know if there is any empirical evidence to support it or if it's just an urban legend.

John Puschock
Wedgwood, Seattle
g_g_allin at hotmail.com



Personally, I had always thought the recommendation of boiling water was to sterilize it. But as someone else mentioned here, if the tap water is safe for us humans it should hold no harm for birds.



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