Winter is over (house, hot water, dry counties)

[Threestep]

We had the first hummingbird and the first dragon fly today.

Please - if you feed them take care of them. Use hot water only to clean feeders at least weekly. Do not use sugar water to feed them - only purchased nectar/nectar mix. Leftovers keep in a water bottle in the fridge. I use bottle water to mix it.

[Southlander]

Why not sugar water?

[wordsmith680]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Why not sugar water?

Yes, I'm curious (yellow)......too! Lots of snow here so plenty of time to learn why.

[Threestep]

Originally Posted by Southlander

Why not sugar water?

Unless you keep a very close eye on the contents of your feeders sugar water may be illegal in some dry counties:>)
Fermenting sugar water will not keep the birds from feeding but it poisons them. I have used it as emergency back up.

[Keeper]

Drunk Hummingbirds? Who knew!!!!

Thanks Threestep.. I have seem lots of ppl post the sugar water recipe..

I don't think I saw a hummingbird last year until May.. Maybe they are all hanging out at your house til then.

[harry chickpea]

It takes a while for fermentation to occur in sugar water. I learned that as a kid. Don't ask me how...

FWIW, there is a problem with drunk birds in Vermont at certain times of the year, when the berries have fermented. It used to freak out the kids at UVM when the drunk birds would crash against the windows. It was fair play though, at other times of the year the drunk kids would freak out the birds by crashing against the windows and trees.