Hummingbird season has begun!

[thistlebloom]

Hummers actually rely on eating bugs more than the nectar. At least according to the Idaho Public Television program on birds that I watched. The nectar is more like the fuel they need to catch the bugs they need. Mosquitoes are on their menu which is just one more (or a million if you live in Minnesota ) reason to love them.

 

[Beekissed]

That's because you're much bigger than you were when you were young.

Could be...though I took that into consideration before speaking! We used to see lunar moths as big as a saucer but now they'd barely fill the palm of my hand.

 

[Lavender2]

I knew they needed bugs for protein, but they really need to step it up on the mosquito population here. I wonder, if I could attract as many as @flowerweaver that they would do them in?

@flowerweaver (forgive me if you have mentioned this already)... do you regulate or change the water/sugar ratio of the nectar over the season? I usually do 3;1.

 

[flowerweaver]

@Lavender2 I use a 4:1 water to sugar ratio all season, and I don't bother boiling it since I usually have to refill all my feeders three times a day. It is the hot temperature here that makes the syrup mold and turn to vinegar, but when it is consumed that quickly I don't have to worry about it. I have not heard of using 3:1, but they probably like it just as well. In truth I don't measure, I just eyeball the syrup when I make it.

In times of drought I feed my bees 2:1, and 1:1 in the winter (which I have to boil to get the sugar to dissolve) so I know in beekeeping the ratios are subject to change depending on your location and season, so perhaps it's the same with hummingbird syrup, too. I would think when they first arrive they could use an extra boost!

I've heard that after the baby hummingbirds hatch they switch to eating more insects. I don't know if that's to feed the young, or that it's just easier to catch your meal close to the nest when they are sitting on eggs.

As for mosquitoes, we have the world's second largest Mexican Free-tailed bat population here and they pretty much keep those under control. When we sit outside in the evening and insects are attracted to us, the Cave Myotas bats (which are very acrobatic!) swoop down, sometimes brushing our faces with their wings, to eat the mosquitoes before we get bitten. It's a great service, and eventually you get used to it!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've read that you should use a stronger mix in the early spring when they first arrive and again in the fall when they are migrating, but I don't know if there is any scientific basis for that or it's just something that sounds good and has taken off across the internet.

I don't have a set formula either when I use the concentrate. I normally get the stuff that is premixed and you don't have to refrigerate so it's not an issue for me., either mixing it or worrying too much about it going bad. I don't have a lot of hummers around, still have not seen one this year although the map says they are really close, but with birds and wasps it disappears.

 

[flowerweaver]

It takes about 3 days in our heat for syrup to go bad, so I would think it would have more shelf-life for anyone in a cooler climate. I was under the impression that boiling not only helped better dissolve the sugar, but helped prevent mold and oxidation. No one down here boils or refrigerates at the quantities we go through, and I've seen no issue with doing it this way. After having measured the sugar long enough, I know exactly where on each feeder to fill the sugar to, then add water, shake, and place it outside.

@Ridgerunner I'm wondering if the birds have changed their migration path this year because of the cold. I really can't explain why we aren't seeing the numbers we are used to seeing. I can only hope they are on their way.

 

[Ridgerunner]

It seems they are stuck just a bit south of me. The weather has warmed up so they may get back on the move, but there is also a significant change in elevation. I wonder if that has slowed them?

They are pretty much on schedule for when they arrived here last year, but you never know what really causes changes. I'm hoping you get an increase soon.

Boiling will kill spores and such so it stands to reason that would help it last longer. Turning to vinegar or alcohol is just fermentation which requires yeast. Cleaning it out between fillings could help there too by removing any yeast already there waiting on it.

 

[thistlebloom]

I change sugar water every 3 days. Even with scrubbing the feeders
and boiling the syrup that seems to be it's use-by date.

I read (on the 'net) that you shouldn't use soap to wash the feeders out, just really hot water and a brush. They didn't state the reason, and the only one I could think of for that, besides maybe just not rinsing well enough, would be the triclosan contained in many soaps that apparently stays on the dish even after a thorough rinsing. Triclosan is an antimicrobial.

 

[Lavender2]

I guess I got stuck on the 3:1 solution from a MN bird show years ago that said that was the ratio similar to the calorie solution of the flowers that hummers tend to feed on the most here. Lower end calorie solution of flowers was 4:1, which they say is fine also, the hummers just feed more often when they need the calories.

@flowerweaver , I think the mosquito is still our state bird. We have lots of bats, tons of frogs, dragonflies, fish and birds ... I guess that's why we have so many predators, they will never run out of food. The only thing that tends to hinder the mosquito numbers is a low water level, that prevents some of the eggs from becoming larva.

 

[so lucky]

I don't boil the water either, as it causes it to get cloudy. Never could figure it out till I realized that the heat must unlock the calcium. For the hummers, I just use hot tap water and sugar. I store leftovers in the fridge.
I know it's early, but I went ahead and put a feeder out this morning. Hate to think of the early scouts hanging around hungry.