Hummingbird Feeder pt2
Channel: Juliet Scalio
Date: 2012-08-29

This is the continued part of Part One-Hummingbird Feeder- DIY. :) Hope you enjoy and here are some tips on when to change your feeder!

High temperatures  Change nectar after
71-75  6 days
76-80  5 days
81-84  4 days
85-88  3 days
89-92  2 days
93+  change daily

Also some pest tips.

'Ants and bees can become pests at your nectar feeder.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  If you can keep them from finding the nectar source in the first place, they will not become a problem.  Hummingbirds will not drink from a feeder with ants crawling on it or with dead ants floating in it.  An ant guard will prevent ants from finding your feeder by blocking their path as they crawl down the hanger.  Most ant guards are small moats that surround the hanger.

 Bees, especially wasps and yellow jackets, will fight off the hummingbirds who come to drink.  Bees cannot be blocked by a moat because they fly.  The way to keep bees from your feeder is by making sure that no nectar leaks or splashes out to where they can eat it.  Feeders with tubes hanging down are the worst offenders.  They literally pump out nectar as the air trapped in top of the feeder expands and contracts with changes in the air temperature.  Bees love the drips.  Other feeders might not drip in this manner, but will allow the nectar to splash out if the feeder is buffeted by the wind."

Cited 8/29/2012 from http://www.wildbirdshop.com/Birding/humfeed.html