While I completely honor your kind intentions in wanting to provide the best possible nutrition for your hummers, in this instance, I do think it’s a case of “better safe than sorry.” What Do You Think?ĭid you find this insight on the best hummingbird nectar ratio helpful? What sugar-to-water mix will you turn to for your feeders in the days ahead? Let us know in the comments below! In fact, the Birdwatching Bliss website says, “To play it safe, just stick with the sugar solution and let the hummingbirds naturally supplement their diet.” 4) This is because there’s simply not enough information on what levels of an additive would be harmful or toxic to them. Regarding whether there’s something that should be added to the liquid to make it more healthful for the hummingbirds, the consensus seems to be that it would be more dangerous to try it than not. But hummingbirds have enormous appetites to support their fast metabolism, and they round out their diets with plenty of those amino acids while they’re feasting on tiny bugs and flower nectar. It’s true that there are some amino acids in flower nectar and tree sap that aren’t present in a sugar-water solution. Plain white table sugar is sucrose, which, when mixed with water, very closely mimics the chemical composition of natural nectar.” 3) Stick to a 1:3 Hummingbird Sugar Water Ratio -Nature Will Do the Rest Organic, natural, and raw sugars contain levels of iron that could be harmful. (In fact, the Audubon Society recommends against using anything but refined white sugar in hummingbird nectar: “ Honey can promote dangerous fungal growth. When we fill our feeders with that 1:3 hummingbird food ratio of 1 part white table sugar (sucrose) to 3 parts water, we are essentially mimicking the nectar of the flowers hummingbirds love. They’ve also been seen to snack on sugary emissions from trees (and even insects!), 2) which also contain lots of sucrose. They drink flower nectar and tree sap, both of which have large amounts of sucrose in them.
Hummingbirds naturally have a sugar-centric diet. Question #2: Have you heard of any vitamin or protein ingredients that one can add to make it a better food?Īnother good question, Kat! Hummingbirds actually eat a whole lot of tiny bugs too, 1) and I’ve seen the same hummingbirds that swarm our hummingbird feederssipping at flowers around our yard and even sticking their beaks into my red tomatoes on the vine!
HUMMINGBIRD FOOD RATIO HOW TO
How to Avoid Garden Pests & Disease, Organically (VIDEO) Supplementing Hummingbird Nectar Is Risky Business How to Attract Beneficial Insects and Repel Pests Through Garden Design Therefore, it concludes that “If we wanted to duplicate the sugar content of flowers in our feeders, we would use a recipe of 1 C sucrose : 3 C water, which results in a sucrose concentration of 22.5% (w/w).” The article mentions that several published studies have found that the sucrose concentration of the nectar in hummingbird flowers is 23.9%.
Using this same solid+liquid methodology, the 1:3 sugar-to-water ratio produces a sucrose concentration of 22.5%. Using the proper solid+liquid formula, the 1:4 sucrose-to-water ratio actually produces a sucrose concentration of 17.9%. I’ll answer them to the best of my ability. Kat, I just love your kind heart and your concern for the well-being of our hummingbird friends! You asked a couple of excellent questions. Have you heard of any vitamin or protein ingredients that one can add to make it a better food? My hummers are at the feeders all day, and I worry that we’re giving them pure energy but not a balanced food.” Here’s What I Replied I’m trying to eat less sugar myself, and can’t see that it’s the best food for any animal.
HUMMINGBIRD FOOD RATIO FULL
Everything I find online uses the 1:4 ratio, so I’m wondering why you use a more concentrated syrup?Īs a retired vet, I can see where using the thicker syrup might cause the bird to overdose on sugar (if it depends on feeling full to stop eating).Īlso, I’ve been feeling uncomfortable about using a pure sugar solution to feed them. I’ve been making mine for years, but have always used 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water, not 1:3 like the article says. “After reading the page about making hummingbird food, I’ve got a question. “Is a 1:3 Hummingbird Food Ratio Really Best?” In response to the post, conscientious TGN Community member Kat wrote in with the following concerns. In it, we included a recipe for hummingbird nectar that called for 1 part refined white sugar to 3 parts water. Not that long ago, we posted an article on homemade hummingbird food. Image by Bryan Hanson from Pixabay Hummingbird Sugar Water Ratio: Hit the 1:3 Sweet Spot
0 kommentar(er)
