Hummer feeders

Tue Jul 03, 2012 5:56 pm

Most of the flowers we had that attract hummingbirds have had all they could take from the heat and dry weather. I have my feeder near a window so I can watch them each day, but even in the shade (hanging from my porch) the nectar gets hot. Hung three different feeders in last few weeks because they leak on my porch. I wonder if the hot temp, even though not in direct sun, causes them to leak due to increased pressue in the glass container. Any thoughts or ideas?

I have the kind that has a glass bottle on top and plastic red piece on bottom. I saw some designs (ie. hummerfest) that are a cover over a small bowl, but I bet you have to add nectar more frequently. I can usually go 2-3 days now which works great for our schedule.

Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:17 pm

Every two to three days seems about right. But in the really hot weather (in the nineties) it's recommended that the feeder is washed and refilled daily because the sugar water plus heat creates a breeding ground for bacteria and such, which could harm the hummingbirds.

Not sure what's causing the leak but mine seems to leak if it's tipped a few degrees. Could the squirrels be reaching it?

Tue Jul 03, 2012 9:07 pm

webmaster wrote:Every two to three days seems about right. But in the really hot weather (in the nineties) it's recommended that the feeder is washed and refilled daily because the sugar water plus heat creates a breeding ground for bacteria and such, which could harm the hummingbirds.

Not sure what's causing the leak but mine seems to leak if it's tipped a few degrees. Could the squirrels be reaching it?

It is past 90 degrees here. Maybe I should put a smaller amount of nectar each time I fill it and wash each day as you've mentioned. It takes them about 2-3 days to drink all of it now when I fill it up. We've been using the nectar that is already made and buying at Walmart in a gallon or so container.

It isn't squirrels. The leak seems to originate from the hole they drink from and it's a slow leak. I drop forms underneath the feeder (bottom of the plastic part) and then falls on our porch and porch rail. It's almost like a siphon starts. The new feeder isn't doing it...yet. The bees are attracted to where it falls also (yellow jackets and wasp).

Wed Jul 04, 2012 4:05 pm

Hm. My hummingbird feeder comes with a bee guard. It's a model by Perky Pets. I don't have a problem with it leaking. The design on it has the feeding tube pointing upwards, plus the bee guard. Here are some photos of it:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61wo5EKHYpL._AA300_.jpg

Sat Jul 07, 2012 8:45 pm

The best hummingbird feeders I've found are by Aspects and they are called hummzingers. They have internal bee guards and don't spill at all.

Here is a link showing the largest one, the Ultra

http://www.hummzingerultra.com/

Good luck, I just love my hummers.