Comments on: How To Make Hummingbird Food In the Pressure Cooker

By: Barbara Schieving

Barbara Schieving — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 11:59:16 +0000

In reply to Brittany. What a fun volunteer opportunity. Thanks for sharing Brittany!

By: Brittany

Brittany — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 06:23:10 +0000

Thank you for posting, I enjoyed reading the comments as well. Anyway I volunteered to help fill the feeders at my daughters school (they have been empty for a long time) I will need a big batch and this is perfect!! Awesome idea!! I’ll be sure to clean my insta pot in hot water as well!! Thank you!!

By: Barbara Schieving

Barbara Schieving — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 03:59:52 +0000

In reply to Char Wardrop. Sounds amazing! Thanks so much for sharing Char :)

By: Char Wardrop

Char Wardrop — Sat, 14 Jul 2018 03:17:03 +0000

Barbara, thank you for posting. I have Annas hummingbirds that live in my yard year round.
I keep anywhere from 3-6 feeders going from late winter until fall, when I drop the feeder count to 2.
I also make a slightly concentrated winter mix of 1:3. This gives the hummers the added energy that they need during the extremes in weather.
My little Anna’s female will perch in the shrub right outside my living room window in the winter. I think she draws extra heat from the closeness. Every February, the new eggs are laid in our Camellia tree. In March and April, the place is abuzz with the young. This year, batch #2 is out and about. The activity can be dizzying with them all vying for territory.
Lately, Allen hummers and Rufous hummers have been showing up more and more. My Anna’s aren’t very welcoming tho!
Char (Just outside of Seattle)

By: Barbara Schieving

Barbara Schieving — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 18:44:39 +0000

In reply to Will. Thanks for sharing your tip Will!

By: Will

Will — Sun, 08 Jul 2018 13:31:41 +0000

One thing that seems to be forgotten by people making posts here(I confess that I haven’t read them ALL) is that before refilling the feeders they need to be absolutely clean. When the hummers feed they contaminate the syrup in the feeder with bacteria and mold spores. I take my feeder apart—it’s one of the feeders that have the little yellow ‘flowers’. I remove the flowers and then dismantle the thing as much as possible. I put all of the parts into a glass bowl of water to which has been added a tiny amount of Clorox. I then scrub all of the pieces with a toothbrush, removing any mold that may have built up. I then rinse the pieces very well, changing the water several times. Also important is to disinfect the bottles the excess syrup will be stored in. More than once I have gone to the refrigerator to refill the feeders and found that the syrup already had mold in it— proof that everything needs to be disinfected.

BTW, I have found that European style beer bottles— the ones with the ceramic stoppers with O-rings are super to use for the syrup. I use the same method for cleaning the bottles, and suppose if you wanted to, you could get replacements for the rings at a home-brewing supplies dealer.

By: Barbara Schieving

Barbara Schieving — Sat, 26 May 2018 15:41:01 +0000

In reply to Kathy. Thanks so much Kathy! Have fun :)

By: Barbara Schieving

Barbara Schieving — Sat, 26 May 2018 15:40:09 +0000

In reply to Beth Fuchs. Great! They're so fun to watch :)

By: Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 26 May 2018 12:58:47 +0000

Thanks you for the tips on making sure the nectar is boiled to kill anything in it. Now it should last longer when hanging in the feeder. Also thank you for your kind responses to rather harsh comments/opinions. I am grateful.

By: Barbara Schieving

Barbara Schieving — Tue, 22 May 2018 15:15:35 +0000

In reply to Susan. Thanks Susan!!