Hummingbird Nectar Calculator
Enter how much nectar you want and get the exact sugar and water amounts at the standard 4:1 ratio — so you stop guessing at half-recipes for an odd-sized feeder.
Plain white granulated sugar and water. Nothing else.
- No honey. It ferments fast and grows fungus that can kill hummingbirds.
- No red dye. Unnecessary and unproven as safe — the red on the feeder is what draws birds in.
- No brown, raw, or unrefined sugar. The iron and molasses content is not something hummingbirds handle well.
- No artificial sweeteners. They carry no calories, and a hummingbird living on them starves.
Cleaning and refill cadence by temperature
Nectar spoils on a temperature curve, not a calendar. In real heat it can go off in a single afternoon. Clean the feeder every time you refill — a rinse is not a cleaning.
| High temperature | Change nectar | What you'll see if you wait |
|---|---|---|
| Below 70°F (21°C) | Every 5–7 days | Slight cloudiness at the base |
| 70–79°F (21–26°C) | Every 3–4 days | Cloudy nectar, first black specks |
| 80–89°F (27–31°C) | Every 2 days | Black mold in the ports, sour smell |
| 90°F and above (32°C+) | Daily | Fermentation — visible strands, birds refuse it |
Wash with hot water and a bottle brush, getting into every port. Skip dish soap if you can't rinse it out completely; a soak in one part white vinegar to four parts water, followed by a thorough rinse, handles most residue. For stubborn black mold, scrub with a weak bleach solution (about one tablespoon per gallon of water), then rinse until you cannot smell it.
Hummingbird feeder care: the schedule that keeps birds safe — placement, mold, ant moats, and when to take feeders down in fall.
Questions
What is the correct hummingbird nectar ratio?
Four parts water to one part plain white table sugar, by volume. One cup of sugar to four cups of water is the standard. That mix lands close to the sugar concentration of the flower nectar hummingbirds feed on in the wild, which is why it works and why sweeter is not better.
Do I need to boil the nectar?
No. Boiling dissolves sugar faster and may buy a little time against spoiling, but it does not sterilise the feeder, and the mix picks up yeast and bacteria the moment it goes outside. If you boil, measure the water before boiling — evaporation concentrates the mix. Always cool it before filling.
Should I add red dye?
No. Hummingbirds locate feeders by the red on the feeder hardware, not the liquid. Dye adds nothing and has never been shown to be safe for birds this small. Clear nectar, red feeder.
How often should I change the nectar?
Follow the temperature table above: every 5–7 days when it's cool, daily above 90°F. If you're going to be away in a heat wave, take the feeder down rather than leave spoiled nectar out.
Can I use honey, brown sugar, or a sugar substitute?
No, on all three. Honey ferments and grows fungus. Brown and raw sugars carry iron and molasses that hummingbirds tolerate poorly. Artificial sweeteners have no calories — a bird feeding on them is starving while it drinks.
How long does leftover nectar keep?
About one to two weeks sealed in the refrigerator. Toss it if it clouds, smells sour, or shows stringy strands. Mixing a batch and refrigerating it makes the every-other-day summer change a 30-second job instead of a chore.
When should I take my feeder down in fall?
Leaving a feeder up does not stop migration — that's driven by day length, not food. Keep it up about two weeks after your last sighting, which catches late stragglers moving through. On the Pacific coast, where Anna's Hummingbirds overwinter, keep feeders up all year and prevent freezing in cold snaps.