When to start feeding hummingbirds
TIPS to Feeding HUMMINGBIRDS Great Tools, Feeders, Recipe
today I want to talk about tools of the
trade when feeding hummingbirds out of
your hummingbird feeder there's certain
things I think that are really good to
have on hand this is my opinion a
toothbrush now what I've done with this
particular toothbrush I might I really
recommend everybody to do it I don't
want me to burn themselves but I held
this over the gas stove and I bent it so
it will get inside and I'll be able to
scrub off anything on the inside of the
containers the clear containers the
glass containers but I bent this one you
don't have to bend it the other thing I
have found that paint brushes are really
good you can get to the bottom really
easily just put it down there and swish
it around get different sizes they're
cheap go to a dollar store or you go to
a craft store and they have cheap ones
too and with that you go in there and
clean anything on the very bottom even
the feeder itself when you take it apart
you can go around and you can clean it
this will get inside and clean it really
good so I absolutely love my paint
rollers I try to keep a pipe cleaner on
hand in case I want to put something
inside of the holes where the
hummingbirds feed out of and make sure I
can scrub that really good let me show
you something else is good a mascara
brush that is really good that can get
into almost any size hole it's got the
bristles and it works perfect I love my
mascara brushes for that now if you're a
guy and you're feeding hummingbirds see
if your wife girlfriend significant
other mother see if they can spare an
old mascara brush just take it and wash
it up huh and if you're 2 guys and
you're feeding hummingbirds and neither
one of you used mascara there's another
way of doing this what are your dollar
store they still face old mascara for a
buck sometimes there's package
a twofer dollar all you need is is that
this little brush is worth spending a
dollar on don't go to the store and
spend five ten 20 dollars for a good
mascara to get the brush this is from
the dollar store yes I buy myself cheap
mascara what I'm going to use it so that
is really handy I don't have any
hummingbird feeders that I'm not using
right now they see if I can find one
I'll be right back okay I'm back I
brought this in I was going to clean it
see it's dirty when you have a brush you
can get all the way to the bottom and
you can just swish around and you can
clean this really good you have a
toothbrush you can get in there and get
around inches really good you see here
with this this one's really worn out and
sad but see the mascara brush that will
go inside here and even get into
crevices but you can look at that this
is really old this is a sad one I've had
it for many many years but look at that
it will clean so well so you really want
to mascara brush so like I said it
doesn't matter you can get one they're
cheap now I like to do a good washing
once a day in the morning I use a little
bit of bleach little like a tablespoon
of bleach to a cup of water and wash it
real good Oh get rid of all that black
that starts to forth don't worry don't
freak out mold is in nature normally
they have good enough antibodies they'll
when you pull it down you see it they're
fine don't worry about there's moles
everywhere and algae everywhere but the
thing is you want to clean it
I'm not saying leave it when you see it
clean it I would prefer to use bleach
and water with that some people have
said all the way it's just bad if you
live in this city your waters got
chlorine that's bleach if you live in
some cities got chlorine I don't want to
go there so don't worry about a little
bit of bleach
you're gonna rinse it wash it really
good hot water warm water scrub off all
the black and that's then you're good to
go and that will take care of any of the
moles on ya
the other thing too is in between
washings if you didn't want to use
bleach baking summer baking soda is your
good friend it will scrub like cleanser
will scrub it will scrub off really
really good it's fresh it makes
everything fresh it will clean the
inside you can take it apart and scrub
it with baking soda I use your brush use
your toothbrush scrub it up this is the
best I use baking soda all my cookie
sheets and baking pans because you won't
have any um soapy residue left or
anything you won't taste it if this is
fresh I push my teeth with it
I keep baking soda in a glass jar in the
bathroom and I sprinkle it on not this
toothbrush I don't use this to press
spray all up my toothbrush and I brush
my teeth with it
baking soda is great non-toxic perfect
and like I said you're gonna wash it off
so it doesn't matter what you use soap
and water is okay too if you're using a
perfume II so then it might leave your
feet smelling a little bit perfume me I
don't know if the birds will like it or
not I prefer not to but it's not gonna
hurt anything whatever you want to use
but do a good cleaning once it you know
once a day in the morning if it really
doesn't look like it needs it if you're
in a cooler area you may not be having
that much more problems at all just wash
up a little baking soda
don't use cleanser or anything like that
that I know you don't want to use so
that's the tools of the trade and of
course the other thing you need is white
sugar don't ever use anything else but
white sugar there are sugar cane sugar
and there is the beet sugar sugar beet I
think they use it really doesn't matter
you're not going to know the difference
anymore because they don't label it
apparently they don't have to label
their sugar whether it's made out of
sugar beet or cane sugar but that's okay
but don't use brown sugar there's
molasses in it it is not good for the
hummingbirds at all don't use it just
plain old white sugar don't worry about
you know what just long as long as it's
human gray white sugar you'll be fine
that's pretty much it I'm trying to
think what else you would need to
um don't overfill the hummingbird
feeders if you don't have a lot of
hummingbirds yet sometimes it takes time
for them to find it you may have one
that decides it's gonna guard the whole
blessed feeder for himself there's not
much you can do when they do that and if
they're gonna guard it then you're gonna
have one hummingbird so make sure that
you just put a small amount in there and
then whatever you make put it in the
fridge it should last a good week and
the refrigerator the leftover and as as
they use it or every two days or so dump
it out and put the fresh in you don't
need any food coloring that's strictly
for people who like the look of red
they're gonna come to us they're gonna
come to this they know how my herd
feeders when they see hummingbird feeder
they check it out the hummingbirds
that's pretty much all you need to know
the other thing too is it's a quarter to
one that's very important I've seen some
people come up with other recipes you
don't want no more than a quarter to one
it is one cup of water to a quarter cup
of sugar if you use less and I've heard
this from the experts that our nature
watchers that keep track of hummingbirds
if you use less they'll drink it but
their bodies will slow down they could
end up having a problem because they
won't know there's not enough sugar in
them and you know in the food for them
you have to go quarter to one to make
sure don't use more you'll have hyper
hummingbirds all over just one cup of
water to 1/4 of cup 1/4 cup of sugar
that's all
mix it up some people don't boil it I
thought some people come back and tell
me oh they just mix it together and it's
fine and that's fine it can take time to
dissolve I have a method of doing it and
I I've got a video on it I'll put the
link to it how I make mine but it works
for me we literally literally have
hundreds of hummingbirds now hundreds of
hummingbirds I wish I was joking I am
not joking I can't even stop the other
day I had
again so they come in the house when
their hummingbird feeders are empty
Yokohama bird feeders everywhere they've
got a lot of babies right now we're in
spring so when they have babies they're
extra hungry and they can have anywhere
from two to six babies in the entire
breeding cycle so there's a lot of
babies and a lot of birds around the
male's do not stick around they do not
feed the babies they have nothing to do
with the babies they breed with the
females and they're gone so you'll see
hummingbirds everywhere that are so busy
trying to eat generally those are
females right now of course we'll have
males because they're hanging around
waiting for the females to be bred again
but they're they're really working hard
those moms are going back and forth and
back and forth all day because they
usually have two babies per nest and
they feed them from the crack of dawn
all the way until sunset they feed him
and feed them and feed them so it really
helps melt when you put a hummingbird
feeder out my NICU and show you some of
my hummingbirds right now and it's just
so much fun I get so much enjoyment out
of that I I love the hummingbirds I
didn't have that many in the area
somebody asked me what would happen if I
stopped feeding him they wouldn't die
but when they would leave they would
find somebody else because there's
plenty of other people putting on
hummingbird food and once they leave
they may not come back
they might suck up to see if you put
anything out but they'll leave so and
I've tested that I've put a hummingbird
feeder somewhere and then I didn't fill
that one and I'm then I put it out later
and there were no hummingbirds there for
days so what it is is they they know
this this flower isn't working anymore
and if that flower isn't blooming and
giving them food they're gonna go
somewhere else so they know here my
hummingbirds know that there's gonna be
food in the morning and if there's not
food there in the kitchen window they're
following me around the garden or
buzzing around my head they're not came
I can't touch them I've never tried I've
never built one of those hats where they
hang hummingbird feeders off of him it
would work because they buzz in my face
but they are used to being fed by me and
they do know it are they feeding solely
by me
know they're out there and they're
feeding on our orange flower to the
blooms all over the orange trees and
their flowers we've gotten our
vegetables and everything and the
Orioles they've come into and what I've
done not on this one but I'm actually
taking a hot needle and I've made the
hole bigger for them
the reason the hummingbird holes are so
small is so people don't get honeybees
because the honeybees will go and
they'll collect this too
so generally they're small but when I
see the Orioles come in and I know
they're nesting around here too I've
taken some of my theaters and I made the
hole bigger on one or two of them so
they can come feed - I like helping them
out I've seen two species right now come
around just recently so I'll show you my
hummingbirds and I hope I've given you
some suggestions get that mascara brush
this is like this is the greatest thing
you can use this for a lot of things
other things cleaning in your kitchen I
have one designated just for the
hummingbird feeders and then I have
another one designated for food great
I've washed it real good in case there's
something I need a clean a grater or
something insects or cleaning I keep
this around so like I said if nobody in
your household is using mascara go to
your dollar store make sure it's a
bristle one you don't want the plastic
there's some that are plastic make sure
it's a bristle one check on the package
generally tells you they last forever
and go get him so let's go see some
hummingbirds now
these are the two hummingbird feeders
off my kitchen windows I'm not telling
anybody to do and I did make holes in
their screens and so they can hang a
hook on their windowsill and swing it
out but yes I've done that I've got one
off this is the one by the sink or a
hummingbird nested last year for the
past few years on that hook which he now
moved her nest and this year I put a new
one right next to my desk I have a desk
in this part of the kitchen so I can
watch them plus I've got the hummingbird
feeders in the garden got him off the
deck I've got him everywhere I've got
about a dozen hummingbird feeders but
these two I really enjoy them because I
get to watch them all day when I'm in
the house when I'm cooking dinner or
breakfast or lunch or anything or just
traveling through the kitchen I get to
see the hummingbirds
it's quiet right now but because they
see the camera but usually there's
dozens and dozens and dozens hovering
around again I'm not suggesting anybody
to cut holes in their screens like I did
but you can just hang it anywhere and
it's just such a joy so with that have a
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have a great day and don't forget to eat
what you grow bye bye
