Is using red food coloring in homemade nectar harmful to the hummingbirds?
By Betty
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It can be; and it is not necessary. Save your food color, all you need is sugar and water! Four parts water to one part sugar. It is best if you can wash your feeder every night, let it dry, refill and put it out again; helps to keep the molds and fungi at bay (which can be harmful to the birds).
Ditto Jilson. I make my mix stronger, 2 cups of water to 1 cup sugar. They like it better. This is the time of year when they will start to fatten for their long trip south. If you watch them at the feeder, you can see them gain weight. It starts as a lump near the tail and then fills in up their backs.
Yes, red dye can be harmful to the Hummers. It can cause mouth and throat cancer. The red color on the feeders is enough to attract them no need for colored sugar water.
Yes, it is. They don't need it to attract them anyway. Your feeder has enough color to get their attention. Make your own solution without the red coloring.
I agree, and love my hummers! They don't need the red dye. Usually they come to my home in the middle of April for early birds I start putting my feeders out by the first week in April, no red dye but I do add a large red bow to my shepherd's hook for symbolic reasons I think like the song "tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree" ) I sing to my hummers (hehe) it's been one whole year and I do miss thee (hehe)
I read once in Birds n Bloom that the same hummers will come back to your yard every year, anyone else read that? Also I read that hummers can fly 500 miles without stopping, wow, now that's a strong little flyer! :)
@ Chloelizabeths comment: I was thinking the other day about making my mix a little stronger too. I'll try yours after all your only adding a 1/2 cup more and if they didn't like it you can be sure they won't drink it and yours are so thank you that's what I will do with my next batch. I love my hummers and soon will be missing them!
How often do you change the feeder solution?
I agree with those who say no red or any color dye. Hummers can see the clear solution. I disagree about the amount of sugar to water ratio. Hummers also need protein they get by catching small flying insects (gnats, etc.). If too much sugar is in the solution, they may not feel the need to catch the nutrients/protein since they have empty calories.
I read this in Birder's Magazine. The recommended ratio is 1/3 cup sugar to 1 cup water. Too much sugar can also lead to other problems. You can go to Wikipedia or a birders web site to confirm this.
Please NEVER use red food coloring, this contains chemicals that kill our humming birds. Red food coloring causes "liver cancer" & the sweet little humming birds suffer a slow horrible death. I didn't know this myself until I researched this.
Your humming bird feeders have "red" on the base which will most definately attract all kinds of humming birds. Also please do not scrub your feeders with bleach, use warm water & a new clean toothbrush. Never wash your plastic feeders in your dishwasher.
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