I know this may be a silly question, but my Aunt told me she uses Koolaid in her hummingbird feeders. I've read so many cautions about red dye and products that may be harmful to them, and because of this, I'm afaid to try it. What do all of you think? Just curious.
Jennifer
Koolaid??
here is a site that might answer your question www.hummingbirds.net there's all kinds of info on the feeding and other information about them
They say that just sugar water is best. That it's supossed to be better than anything you could buy or make.
I have at least three breeding pairs that visit my feeders and they love the sugar water and I've never used a mix or added anything to it.
I'd avoid the koolaid. Just plain sugar water should do ya fine! :-)
Sugar water is all I use. I mentoned that I have no hummers, and that's when she told me about Koolaid, but I've never used it. I just wanted to know what ya'll think. Personally, I'm afraid to experiment with wild life, but I wanted to ask in case you all know something I don't. I'll just stick with sugar water, and maybe I'll eventually see one. If I don't, maybe next year.
Well, I know I'll see some in Aug. We're going to Alabama to spend a week with my husband's mother. She has tons of them at her feeders.
It took ours forever to show up. Then they do and they are everywhere! They take over the gardens,lol.
Have faith- they will show!
It may help if you put your feeder so it's not completely out in the open and if you put some brightly flowering plants below and around it. They like to perch on them between feedings. As they get used to, you can take away a plant or two so you can watch the feeders.
My feeders are visible from windows so I can watch them without them suspecting a thing. But as they've gotten used to me and released that no one is going to touch them, they've become quite brazen and will go as far as coming right up to you to check you out especially when I'm dead heading flowers in the planters.
Can you tell us about the type of feeder you have or post a pic of the feeder and it's surroundings?
Once you get hummingbirds, you'll never get rid of them because they know a good thing when they see it. One hummingbirds attracts other hummingbirds and their babies will visit too and they never forget their fav feeder!
This is the first time I've ever put out a feeder, and I'm thinking that may have something to do with it. I didn't spend a lot of money, because I wanted to see if they would come first. I have a red bottle feeder. it's hanging on a plant hook under my shaded porch. I've planted petunias in a barrel container and put it under the feeder, but the flowers aren't doing very well. I may not have enough sun. Dad is going to give me some pintas from his garden. He says they go right to them in his yard. Now if I only had time to go get them. lol
jdee: did you look at the hyperlink I gave you it's a cool site even if you have dozens of humming birds. We enjoy them so much and are always interested in anything new we can find out about them. We have three feeders which they say is good if you have lots of the little guys as they fight each other off and anything else that tries to get at their food. It's very important not to put the food in the sun and to change it fairly frequant. I have only seen several hummers feeding from the same bottle in a magazine pic in Birds and Blooms. Has anyone else seen that before. In the hyperlink they say to put out things that attract fly's and bugs for the hummers as the sugar water just gives them the energy to go after bugs their main food sorce, didn't know how I thought they lived on sugar water alone! My DH was holding our grandson one day looking over the garden by the feeder and a little hummer came right up to their faces and checked them out, I don't know who was more excited my DH or GS lol
Wow jperilloux you are so lucky to have that many feed at once on one feeder, I think I wouldn't get anything done I'd be to busy watching them. "Great Picture"
Don't feel bad Flowerpot. I too do not have any hummingbirds! My sister has a boat load of them and says once they come you won't be able to get rid of them! I've had a feeder out there since early spring with the three parts water and one part sugar and still no hummers. I have it in my Butterfly Garden that is mixed with plants that supposedly attract hummers too! I think my problem is that I bought a beautiful hand blown glass feeder that is blue swirl. My sister has the one like the pic above. I'm going to Walmart or Lowes today to look for one like that. I hear they are attracted to red. Going to check ou the site that Flowerpot sent you! Good Luck!!!
Ohh I got that same feeder too! (blown glass) for 4.00. Mine's red though! They are attracted to reds- Maybe put the new red one by the glass one- when they find them- move the other one somewhere else (easy to find).
And yes- once they find you- and know they have a good supply of food- you CANT get rid of them! We are getting more everyday! Just now I got buzzed by a little female,LOL! I was too close to "her" flowers!
I have a plant Hummernut gave me that they LOVE. It is a blue color- and they ALWAYS feed on it. I have a couple babies I can send to you (mel) and Jdee. SASE is all I ask for them.
They should bloom for you this year.
Let me know :D!
-Jocie.
I think it is some sort of Salvia.
We only get one hummer at the feeder at a time...The two females chase each other off, and the male is never challenged while there. I've seen a feeder out on a country home that had so many ruby-throats around it they resembled a swarm of bees more than hummingbirds! It was a great big feeder, too, with many ports. Ours only have four ports each.
Oh! I would love that! Let me know how and what to do to! I'm new here, so I need to be guided! I'm normally on E-Bay but have discovered Daves Garden...it's wonderful!
I will do what you suggested about putting a red colored feeder next to the blue one. Guess I was just trying to be fancy with the Blue blown glass! :)
Okay- I will email you my address- you send er um well darn. $5.00? It wont take that much to ship a small plant though. If you want I'll send a Priority box and add some other plants. I'd say just send a padded envelope but don't know if the plant would survive it.LOL The way I've been doing it is a Priority box and then sending the extra change back with the plant.
Will it tolerate shade. I have very little sun to offer it.
Hmmmm I think it will yeah- might not bloom as much though. You could even put it in a pot and set it somewhere out of the way. It seems to be a very forgiving plant.
We do 4 parts boiling water to one part sugar.
We have about 10 feeders up this year, some in shade, some in Sun. We fill them about every 3rd day; not because we need to change the water, because the hummers empty them.
In this photo you can see the hummer on the right has a "web" caught on her foot similar to the one that was grounded a couple of weeks ago. This one,(or same one) so far, hasn't had a problem flying with the "stuff" attached to her little foot. Hoping if she does have a problem, she'll be grounded where we will see her and be able to help.
I had one hanging on my window but DD somehow made it fall, luckily I had already hung one more up on the eave so they come to that readily. The one in the garden in with the flowers they havnt touched yet but Im sure they will, Im going to have to change the mixture out there since they havnt touched it but as soon as the hosta start bloomingin that bed Im sure theyll find it too.
Hi, I was just researching what Hummingbirds need (and like) and came across this list of web links that may be useful to you....
http://www.portalproductions.com/h/resource.htm#www
Also, from what I too have read, the kool-aid idea is not recommended by the experts. They did say that tying a piece of that bright 'crime scene/police/caution' ribbon around your feeder might attract them. Apparently hummers are highly attracted to the ultraviolet colors. I'll be interested to hear if this works! Good luck. T.
Welcome Neighbor!!
... hee hee ... Just what ever you do - Don't go outside to your front porch with a cup of hot coffee .. IN a red cup, or cup with one of the colors being bright red !!
And geez .. certainly don't do so .. IF the feeders are empty either!!
Ever had a hot coffee 'wing-beated' on ya ? .. and your eyes haint even fully open yet ?!?!? .. lol ..
Bet those wings put out the relative equivalent of helicopter blades - LOL at the thought of wing-beaten coffee!
My grandpa had a hummingbird come right up to the vanilla ice cream cone he was eating on the back porch and sample it. Grandma saw it happen -- what a wonderful thing that would be!
Hummer spit- adds some extra spice,LOL.
Imma try that red cup thing, hehe. Just to be mean. :-))
I was holding one of the hummingbird feeders today in my hand because I just washed and changed it, and a hummer came right up and drank out of it!!!!! Can you believe that? Hummers are like nothing else!
Wow, that sounds like fun.