I have a hummingbird feeder... but it has little red color on it; how can I help them come?
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Answers:
The best way to attract them is to have some of their favorite sweet nectar flowers or flowering bushes around (especially in red), and they will eventually find your feeder.
They include azaleas, hibiscus, butterfly bush, honeysucle, begonia, daylilies, morning glories, gladiolas, petunias, verbena, vinca, iris, lantana...
Hummingbirds are especially fond of Fuschia, salvia, bee balm, foxglove, impatiens, canna, coral bells, hollyhock and foxglove.
Many of these flowers are sold at most common garden centers such as Home Depot, KMart, while others are found at specialty garden centers. They range from shade to full sun plants, so check the area you will be keeping them.
Many of them can be kept in planters or hanging baskets if your garden space is limited.
Never use artificially colored water in the feeder, a simple sugar/ water solution is sufficient.
If they don't come at first, don't give up! The migrating ones may find you on their journey as a feeding pit stop as your beautiful garden lures them in. And you'll definitely have butterflies to watch while you wait!
Put a mixture of sugar and water in it and hang it up. The little bit of red will attract the birds.
I use one fourth cup of sugar to one cup water. Boil for a few minutes then cool. Store in fridge. Use only a small amount at a time.
put something larger that is red near the feeder?
make sure there is nothing moving or scaring them you may not have noticed
i think it is the sweat smell of the sugar water that attacts the birds not the red feeder.
It may take a few weeks for them to find it, but once they do, humingbirds compete for it. Make sure the water/sugar ratio is about 4:1. Vasoline access areas were ants may travel to it. Our feeder has a little red port, so the amount of red isn't a big deal. Do NOT add red dye to the solution as this can be toxic to them. And another suggestion, make sure there is alot of room over the feeder (not on a branch) and the feeder is in as much open air as possible. Hummingbirds are skiddish and avoid areas where they think potential predators could lurk or where they can't easily escape. Good luck!
I have found that using a Shepperd's hook, either the free standing ones (they are pushed into the ground) or the ones mounted to a post or deck, work very well. Double faced tape (sticky on both sides) has worked better for me than vaseline. I wrap it around the Shepperd's hook, near the bottom, and the ants can't crawl over it. Be sure to change your sugar water often, at least once a week.
Add a few drops of red food coloring to the nectar. They really do like red.
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