What proportions of sugar to water do you use in making your own hummingbird liquid??
Do you boil your mixture?
Hummingbird mixture
4 parts water to 1 part sugar, unless I am expecting below freezing temperatures. I boil the water, remove from heat (or microwave), double check amount, then add the sugar to it , stir to dissolve. If you boil them both together, some of the water boils away, the mixture gets too concentrated, and you start making candy syrup. Orioles don't need as strong a concentration, if you are feeding them also.
Mixture will turn bad & start to grow mold/bacteria, the warmer the weather it is, the quicker it goes bad. So don't put more food out than they can drink in 1-3 days. You can make extra and store it in the fridge. I usually only fill my feeders 1/4 to 1/3 full, but make enough syrup for 1-2 refills and store it.
Thank you. Will be on my todo projects for tomorrow.
Last year I found a handy chart that tells when to change the nectar. We found we did not have to change it as often as we were.
http://howtoenjoyhummingbirds.com/maintaining_and_cleaning_your_hummingbird%20feeder.htm
That is a handy chart! I think I will post it on the fridge.
I just run my water through my Bunn drip coffee maker. I use a separate funnel and carafe that never "sees" any coffee.
I mix 4 cups of HOT water and 1 cup of sugar. I stir it up and refrigerate. I don't put out a lot at once, expecting it to go bad pretty fast, here in the Ga heat.
Hack
same mix as everyone else posted but i do simmer mine for a couple of minutes. i read an article that said because of the bacteria in sugar, it is vital to simmer a few minutes and not to just add hot water to sugar. it doesn't kill everything.
when it cools down, i transfer to a large bottle and keep in the fridge. being florida, i have to change mine every three days or it sours.
also be sure to scrub the feeder and the holes (i use a pipe cleaner) to get all the mildew out every time you put in fresh liquid.