Paisley, I am having the same problem with the "little white floaty things". I have been changing the water and cleaning the feeders everyday because in 2 days the floaty things appear. I even take pipe cleaners to the little holes. I clean them with bleach once a week. It has been EXTREMELY hot and humid here in Michigan. I hope someone has an answer.

I don't know it happens to me sometimes too I think it might happen in the cool down period if possible can you boil it then put it right away in refrigerator I think that's were mine goes moldy in the cool down period after I boil it just my pobservation now I put in refrigerator right away. Sarah

Paisley_Tx: Direct sunlight and/or high temperatures can cause all kinds of problems. One thing you might do is just partially fill the feeders so you can change them everyday without wasting a lot of sugar water.

Frank

I agree with Frank. It's been so hot down here, that I fill mine with only a small amount of solution. Changing it out daily helps a great deal too. Also, be sure that your feeders are not getting direct sunlight which makes the problem worse. I hang my feeders in trees right now in order to keep the feeders out of direct sunlight.

I get the little white floaty things all the time too. I change the water every other day, Only once did my necter go bad, and I knew it right away because the smell was so strong. I don't know what the floaty things are, but I really don't think it means the necter has gone bad, because sometimes I've seen it right after I poured it into the feeders
Vicki

can someone post a picture of the little white floaty things?

1 variable: are ants getting to it? since I hung ant barriers, the nectar does not look as cloudy when changing out the old nectar as it did when ants got into it.

another variable: how old is your feeder? I was having a similar problem with only 1 feeder, and I bleached it and it continued, and ccroulet recommended replacing it, and I haven't had a problem since. I kept the glass bottle, but replaced all the plastic on it.

keep us posted as you figure it out.

I think that those "white floaty things" is some type of fungus. Now I'm not sure, but I wouldn't take the chance. I have noticed them more when my feeders are in direct sunlight. Down here on latitude 28 the sun is so hot that it just does bad things to the feeders. I really think that you need to change them even twice a day if you are getting them in your feeders. And keep them out of direct sunlight. And I always boil my water before I add the sugar and refrigerate right away.

Thank you all for your responses! :-)

I took down my second feeder (that stays in the shade) shortly after posting this and it had the exact same little white floaties. So, now I do have to wonder if: a) it's because I don't put the sugar water in the frig fast enough b) it's too hot/humid, even for the shade or c) I need to bleach clean those feeders.

Stan - I had thought about taking a picture of the floaties, but then didn't think that they'd show up in the picture as they're very small, but there were enough of them to make me worry that they were fungus. If they ever get to that point again, I'll try to post a pic (if it turns out). They kinda look like itty bitty white flakes/specks (one wouldn't even think they were mold at first glance). I don't think I've got ants cause I don't see them in the water. I occasionally see one or two. Also, my feeders are only 2 years old, so I don't think that's anything to do with it. Both feeders are from different companies as well, and they're both getting the floaties.

I'll make up some new sugar water and refrigerate it immediately this time (and bleach clean the feeders). Hopefully that'll help some, if not I won't mind changing out each day. It's just something new to me from last year (could go 3 days). Thanks again for all the help - y'all are wonderful!

The feeder that gets the floaty things is the one that only gets morning sun. The 2 feeders that are in the hot afternoon sun does not get floaty stuff. My feeders are new this year. I threw out the 3 year old feeders and bought all new ones this year. I did not have floaty things last year. I put the water in the refrigerator immediately after I stir it (still hot) I am thinking it is the heat/humidity. Thats another reason I change it everyday, I am sure the water gets hot.

Hi Everyone,
I thought I read a post somewhere on this site that said that the stuff in the water is from the hummer's beaks when they feed that causes bacteria to grow in the water. Do all of you who have the problem have hummers feeding from the feeders? The reason I ask, is because all season long I have not had any hummers at any of my feeders yet, and no matter how hot it is here in Michigan, my nectar is always clear, I have two in shade, and one that is out in the sun in the afternoon, and all are always clean and clear when I change them every few days or so. So I am thinking that it could be because no hummers are feeding therefore, no bacteria or fungus from their beaks are getting into the nectar to cause it to go bad. I just use bottled water to make up the nectar, I do not boil bottled water first, the few hummers that show up once in a awhile prefer my Gartenmeister Fuchsias rather than my feeders. In the past years, I have a sparse few visit my feeders, and only then did I see any type of stuff in the feeder, I just don't have the feeder activity that most others do, so that is why I am thinking that the bacteria and fungus has to do directly with the amount of hummers feeding from the feeders. Just a thought.

This is what I do... I wash feeders each time with soap and water, then mix 1:4 ratio of sugar:cold water, stir vigorously then pour into feeders and hang. I have changed brands of sugar making sure that it is of sugar cane origin instead of sugar beet. My feeders are in the shade. The sugar I use is Pillsbury brand. I have not seen the mold since changing to this brand.

This is a good website about Hummers.

I think cane or beet sugar matters not. With the heat and humidity here this summer, I havn't seen any floaties. I also don't have any activity at my feeders either. Bees are big pain, but not so this year and I think it's because the hummers arn't letting their tounge drip on them. At least that's my explanation. I make my nectar and then let it cool before putting in fridge, with never a problem.

Humidity is a factor. I discovered that when it is really humid or when whe have had a lot of rain like we did last year, I had to change and clean the feeders every couple of days. Humidity coupled with high heat even if the feeders are in the shade will cause mold, mildew and fungi to grow quicker than when the air is dry. Here in western NY state it has been in the 90's nearly all summer which is extremely unusual for this area. We have also been having very high humidity (gee, I feel like I am back in Louisiana) and I am changing out my feeders every other day. On a couple of occasions when it hit 98 and 99, I changed them each day. As soon as the nectar is made, it goes into the refrigerator.

Penny

Birdlegs: I think there is a difference between using beet sugar and cane sugar. (Pure cane sugar is the only way to go!)

Frank

Ahhh yes, it sure does get hot and humid in south Texas. Temperatures stay around 100 most days (although hurricane Emily did give us a spot of relief for one day).

I resorted to removing the large feeders and hanging out a bunch of those little insulin bottle feeders I made. They hold about 12 ml of nectar and can easily be kept shaded and tucked amongst the trellised vines and such.

Of course, I must re-fill them several times a day when the regular hummies bring friends.

When we were in the midst of the hurricane I hung up large feeders from my back porch beams...the hummies quickly found those and didn't seem put out by having to fly under the porch eaves.

~ Cat

Its been over 100 here for a week and haven't had any mold.
No humidity here either except for the last day or 2 but nothing like S Tx gets.
I have a 32 oz and fill it about every 2 weeks.
It gets a little morning sun but I took a cheap plastic round plant tray and spray painted it red and use that as an unbrella upside down.
I soak in hot sudsy water and rinse then soak in a little bleach water to disinfect each time.
You might want to make sure you disinfect, but you must rinse very well like 10 times.

gobluedjm
Even though you have no humidity to speak of, the temps are still up there and leaving nectar for two weeks without changing it is way too long. Once temps start to heat up, it is recommended to change the nectar every 2-3 days.
Just because you can't see mold doesn't necessarily mean it isn't there. In some instances the nectar will become cloudy and ferment before there is any visible mold.

Penny

If it gets cloudy I do change it of course

It has been usually hot and humid here in NE Wisconsin for the last several weeks, with no rain. I have a lot of activity but have not experienced anything floating in my nectar or any mold growing. I have switched this year to all of my feeders being glass rather than plastic. In the heat, I only partially fill the feeders (the ones I can partially fill) every day. After tomorrow we will be cooling back down to the 80's and upper 70's so I will fill full once again and can leave for a day or two. I do put my nectar straight into the refrigerator after I mix it.

This drives me crazy as well . I wash my feeders thoroughly each time.....Rinse them well and the floaties appear the minute I put it in the feeder. I think I will start buying store bought.

I haven't read through the whole thread, but you should boil the sugar with the water, not just mix it afterwards. I don't know what the floaty things are, but I did get mold spots after a few days, inside the jar in the refrigerator because I didn't boil the sugar with the water. No problem now.