You need to be sure to scrub the inside of the feeder where the solution goes with a brush and clean the ports where the birds eat from. I use a little brush that came with the feeder and when I use one with a bottle I use a bottle brush to scrub that out. Just rinsing with water isn't enough.
Is there a way to refill the feeders when there's still a little bit of nectar left inside? I never want the feeder to go fully empty but always find it painful to refill without spilling on myself or around me.
Great question! I think it would depend upon the feeder and how you need to fill it (some of them can be a little messy like you said). Ideally though, you’d want to clean the feeder out before filling it again and you would need to dump the remainder out to do that.
That "old" nectar has likely been breeding microorganisms for several days (even if you've boiled/sterilized the nectar when you made it, the feeder isn't sealed -- plus the first hummingbird that pokes its beak or tongue in has contaminated the solution anyhow (ditto any insects that get into it). So really, it's a lot safer for the birds to dump the old nectar. Think of it as the nectar going its "expired" date -- and the warmer the sugar solution is, the faster it goes bad. What do you care more about: a little sugar water, or not risking sick birds? (Hummingbirds can't afford to get very sick, especially as many of the diseases they can get from bad nectar can prevent them from feeding, and with their high metabolism they need to feed constantly. Hummingbirds need to consume about half their body weight in sugar -- not sugar solution, but sugar -- daily, just to keep going.) But there's no rule that you need to fill a feeder all the way full -- if you're having a lot of excess / wasted nectar when its time to clean and re-fill, you can just fill that feeder only halfway full.
Hi Grace! I’m sorry that’s happening. If it’s a feeder that’s relatively easy to thoroughly clean, you could start by soaking it in a light mix of water and white vinegar and then scrubbing it after with a similar mix. It’s really important to ensure the feeder is totally free of mold. It can do a lot of damage to our flying friends. We do not recommend using any sort of soaps on it or running it through your dishwasher.
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You need to be sure to scrub the inside of the feeder where the solution goes with a brush and clean the ports where the birds eat from. I use a little brush that came with the feeder and when I use one with a bottle I use a bottle brush to scrub that out. Just rinsing with water isn't enough.
Excellent advice-thank you, Nancy!
Is there a way to refill the feeders when there's still a little bit of nectar left inside? I never want the feeder to go fully empty but always find it painful to refill without spilling on myself or around me.
Great question! I think it would depend upon the feeder and how you need to fill it (some of them can be a little messy like you said). Ideally though, you’d want to clean the feeder out before filling it again and you would need to dump the remainder out to do that.
That "old" nectar has likely been breeding microorganisms for several days (even if you've boiled/sterilized the nectar when you made it, the feeder isn't sealed -- plus the first hummingbird that pokes its beak or tongue in has contaminated the solution anyhow (ditto any insects that get into it).
So really, it's a lot safer for the birds to dump the old nectar. Think of it as the nectar going its "expired" date -- and the warmer the sugar solution is, the faster it goes bad. What do you care more about: a little sugar water, or not risking sick birds?
(Hummingbirds can't afford to get very sick, especially as many of the diseases they can get from bad nectar can prevent them from feeding, and with their high metabolism they need to feed constantly. Hummingbirds need to consume about half their body weight in sugar -- not sugar solution, but sugar -- daily, just to keep going.)
But there's no rule that you need to fill a feeder all the way full -- if you're having a lot of excess / wasted nectar when its time to clean and re-fill, you can just fill that feeder only halfway full.
I have hummingbird feeder but it has black mold on it what should I do I need help please
Hi Grace! I’m sorry that’s happening. If it’s a feeder that’s relatively easy to thoroughly clean, you could start by soaking it in a light mix of water and white vinegar and then scrubbing it after with a similar mix. It’s really important to ensure the feeder is totally free of mold. It can do a lot of damage to our flying friends. We do not recommend using any sort of soaps on it or running it through your dishwasher.
where is how to Refill?