dead hummingbird
I found a dead ruby throated hummingbird in my garden today... although it is dead it is still beautiful with shiny green and red feathers... if anyone wants to see pics I can post them
Do you have a reference for the veracity of that, Gary? 
Nectar, and the occasional small ant or other tiny insect, is what hummingbirds live on. Sugar water is what we feed to orphaned baby hummingbirds, and adult hummers that are being rehabbed. They always do just fine.
Honey is quite bad for them, however. In feeders, it ferments even faster than sugar water. A bacteria, which causes a deadly tongue disease in the birds, grows in the fermented honey water.
Also, adding red food coloring is discouraged. It isn't necessary. All birds have excellent eyesight, and once the hummingbirds realize there is a feeder available, they will use it.
Nectar, and the occasional small ant or other tiny insect, is what hummingbirds live on. Sugar water is what we feed to orphaned baby hummingbirds, and adult hummers that are being rehabbed. They always do just fine.
Honey is quite bad for them, however. In feeders, it ferments even faster than sugar water. A bacteria, which causes a deadly tongue disease in the birds, grows in the fermented honey water.
Also, adding red food coloring is discouraged. It isn't necessary. All birds have excellent eyesight, and once the hummingbirds realize there is a feeder available, they will use it.
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rainbowgardener
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"Also, adding red food coloring is discouraged. It isn't necessary"
Our hummingbird feeder is made of red plastic, so it doesn't matter that the liquid inside it is clear; you still have the red to attract them.
Here's a bit from an article about feeding hummingbirds:
"mericans can't use raw sugar, because its sale is banned in the U.S. due to diverse and unpredictable impurities (bacteria, molds, heavy metals, rat excrement, insect parts, etc.). The so-called "raw" sugar (also known as turbinado) common in third-world countries and marketed by health food stores is actually refined by the same process as white sugar, but without removing all of the molasses and other non-sugar components. The result is a less-pure sucrose that contains about five times as much iron as white sugar; since iron is essential but normally rare in hummingbird diets, their bodies hoard it, and even a modest excess of iron can poison them. If you have the choice, use only white sugar in hummingbird feeders.
Here is an article by Penny Elliston, a licensed hummingbird rehabilitator, about the dangers of relying too heavily on commercial mixes.
Please, do not put honey, Jell-O, brown sugar, fruit, or red food coloring in your feeder! Honey ferments rapidly when diluted with water and can kill hummingbirds. The effects of red dye have not been not scientifically tested, and it is not necessary to color the water to attract birds to your feeder. Further, there are unverified reports that red dye can cause tumors in hummingbirds; this may or may not be true, but why take the chance?" https://www.hummingbirds.net/feeders.html
Our hummingbird feeder is made of red plastic, so it doesn't matter that the liquid inside it is clear; you still have the red to attract them.
Here's a bit from an article about feeding hummingbirds:
"mericans can't use raw sugar, because its sale is banned in the U.S. due to diverse and unpredictable impurities (bacteria, molds, heavy metals, rat excrement, insect parts, etc.). The so-called "raw" sugar (also known as turbinado) common in third-world countries and marketed by health food stores is actually refined by the same process as white sugar, but without removing all of the molasses and other non-sugar components. The result is a less-pure sucrose that contains about five times as much iron as white sugar; since iron is essential but normally rare in hummingbird diets, their bodies hoard it, and even a modest excess of iron can poison them. If you have the choice, use only white sugar in hummingbird feeders.
Here is an article by Penny Elliston, a licensed hummingbird rehabilitator, about the dangers of relying too heavily on commercial mixes.
Please, do not put honey, Jell-O, brown sugar, fruit, or red food coloring in your feeder! Honey ferments rapidly when diluted with water and can kill hummingbirds. The effects of red dye have not been not scientifically tested, and it is not necessary to color the water to attract birds to your feeder. Further, there are unverified reports that red dye can cause tumors in hummingbirds; this may or may not be true, but why take the chance?" https://www.hummingbirds.net/feeders.html
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gixxerific
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