Try to put it in an area which receives some shade. Hummingbirds will more readily use a feeder if it is close to hummer-attracting plants. Us no sweetener except sugar (no honey and no artificial sweetener!). It is not necessary to buy commercial hummer nectar, as it is very easy to make. Proportions for Hummer Nectar: 4 parts water to 1 part sugarĭo Not Use Red Food Coloring! As long as there is some red on the feeder, the hummingbirds will find it. If the design of the feeder is such that a bee guard is required, cut out the center of the guard with wire clippers to avoid possible injury. Studies have shown that bee guards have sometimes caused injury to hummingbird bills so we don't recommend their use. Some feeders come supplied with bee guards (small plastic plugs with a grid design). Also, there is no point in putting out a huge supply of nectar as you will be changing it anyway when you clean the feeder. The feeder does not need to be large as usually only one bird at a time will feed at it. For that reason feeders need to be cleaned every few days. In our humid weather sooty mold easily grows on feeder parts and is harmful to hummingbirds. Be sure to use one that can be easily cleaned. There are several excellent brands on the market.
Some of the plants listed, such as pentas, hamelia, abutilon, firespike and some salvias will have winter blooms if temperatures are mild or the plant is protected.Ĭigar Flower (Cuphea ignea): summer, fallįountain Plant (Russelia equisetiformes): all year (if protected)įeeders are a very useful supplement to the hummingbird's natural foods. However, variable factors such as temperature, location of plant, type of soil, etc., also need to be considered, so these dates should only be used as general guidelines. In the following list, the main blooming period for each plant has been added. In Houston it is especially important to have flowers in the fall and winter, since that is when we have the greatest hummingbird concentrations and the largest number of species.
In designing a hummingbird garden, you should pay particular attention to the times of year various flowers bloom. Planting a hummingbird garden is the ideal way to attract hummingbirds and much more effective than using feeders. In winter, hummingbirds are known to follow sapsuckers around to feed on tree sap extracted from sapsucker drilling holes. Often they eat insects found in the nectar, and they also catch insects in the air. Hummingbirds live on a combination of flower, nectar and minute insects.
These include Allen's, Anna's, Broad-tailed, and Buff-bellied Hummingbirds. Several other species may occasionally be found in Houston in the winter.