Why You Can Skip Boiling Sugar Water For Your DIY Hummingbird Nectar

While there are plenty of ways to attract hummingbirds to your yard — like by adding more red to your garden or by planting specific flowers that these tiny birds adore – one of the easiest and quickest methods is to simply put out a hummingbird feeder that contains their favorite nectar: sugar water. For a long time, the most common way to make hummingbird nectar was to mix refined white sugar with boiling water (some also added red dye but we now know that you should avoid adding dye to the nectar as it can harm the birds). And now, the simple process of making nectar may have gotten even easier because you no longer even need to boil the water to make your DIY hummingbird nectar.

In fact, using regular hot water from the tap may be just fine as long as you get the sugar to fully dissolve in the water before putting it in your feeder. While it was once believed that hummingbird nectar needed to be boiled to help prevent the mixture from fermenting and going bad, as it turns out, the nectar gets contaminated with bacteria and mold the second the first bird takes a sip. Therefore, it isn't really necessary to boil the nectar beforehand as you will likely need to change the fluid out just as often (once every three to five days) even if you don't boil it.

The first step in making your hummingbird nectar without boiled water is getting your sugar measurements right. You will need to use white refined sugar (brown sugar, honey, powdered sugar, and other raw unprocessed sugars are not recommended) in a ratio of one part sugar to four parts hot water. You can simply use hot water from the tap. Then, simply stir or shake the sugar and water mixture for three minutes or until all the sugar is dissolved. Make sure to let the mixture cool to room temperature before pouring it into the feeder and hanging it outside.

It is also important to know that different sugar to water ratios are best for different times of the year. The one part sugar to four parts water nectar ratio is best for summer when the birds aren't migrating; however, in spring and fall when hummers often migrate, a one part sugar to three parts water ratio is better because it provides the birds with more energy for their long journeys.