Hummingbird Feeder Recipe
Updated: Apr 4, 2025
While native flowering plants are the best source of nectar for hummingbirds, supplementing with a well-tended sugar-water feeder, or many, can provide additional sustenance during nesting season and migration. It is important that if you are going to be supplementing your favorite hummers' diet with feeders, you know how to make the sugar-water nectar, the best location and how to clean.
Hummingbird Nectar Recipe
Making the hummingbird nectar to put in your feeder is easy. It has just two ingredients: white sugar and water.
Follow the rule of thumb: 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. For example, 4 cups of water to 1 cup of sugar. Why? It is the closest we can come to the natural nectar in flowers.
INGREDIENTS
White granulated sugar (not brown, raw, or organic sugar)
Spring water or purified water (not distilled water)
INSTRUCTIONS
Add 4 parts water to 1 part sugar.
Thoroughly mix to dissolve the sugar in the water.
Boiling the water will help remove impurities, which is helpful if you are planning to store it. Unused mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you are planning to use the mixture immediately boiling is not necessary.
In winter you can reduce the water to 3 parts, making the mixture 3 parts water to one cup sugar. This higher sugar content is slightly more resistant to freezing and offers increased calories for helping hummers stay warm in the cold.
In the summer, going back to 4 parts water helps the nectar stay fresh longer and is less inviting to bees (although they will still love the nectar if they can get to it).
No Red Dye. Only Red Feeders.
This is important: No red food coloring, honey, molasses, artificial sweeteners, or any other kind of sweetener.
Nectar in flowers is clear, and red food coloring may be harmful for hummingbirds. It’s the flowers that are brightly colored, not the nectar—and that’s why hummingbird feeders typically are designed with red parts to attract the attention of hummingbirds.
The cane sugar should be pure white, not brown, raw, or organic. These may not have been sufficiently purified to remove trace amounts of molasses. As we know, molasses is rich in iron; this is helpful to humans but is a toxin to hummingbirds in all but the tiniest, tightly monitored amounts.
Exceptions: Hummingbird Momma has developed a line of sugar for hummingbirds that is organic but has been processed in a way that makes it safe and extra healthy for hummingbirds. Hummingbird Market has developed a healthy nectar blend of fructose, glucose, and sucrose designed to closely mimic flower nectar.
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The International Hummingbird Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization dedicated to educating people about hummingbirds and working internationally to protect them.
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People who work in human nutrition like "organic" or "unrefined" raw sugars because they keep the natural minerals and molasses driving directions For hummingbirds, though, those nutrients that are kept in the food make it poisonous. To be safe, choose pure, plain white powdered table sugar (sucrose). This is because the processing process gets rid of these harmful trace elements.
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Hey there! Love the hummingbird feeder recipe—super helpful! I’m curious, do you think using different sweetener types could affect which birds come to feed? Also, how does this connect to urban settings like a metro run? I'd love to hear your thoughts!