I had not heard of this mixture before and becoming interested found this great article that will help clear things up you and anyone who may be interested. Hopefully below is a link to the article.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hummingbird Feeding

hummersteve, thanks for providing that great link! I've always used the 1:4 ratio thinking it was the ideal solution. I had noticed that my hummers spend more time eating from my salvia and red honeysuckle than they do at the feeders. Maybe these flowers have a higher caloric value than my sugar water. Thanks again for the info!

Judy
www.ButterflyNature.com

VERY interesting article! I might just change my sugar to water ratio in my hummer feeder to see if that doesn't bring them around!

Thanks Hummersteve!

During the spring and fall migration I use a 3:1 water to shugar ratio. Then in the middle of summer when water is important I use 4:1. My population has steadily increased over the years. My adult hummers are more apt to use the feeders or feeders in conjuction with flowers. The Juveniles are the ones that use the flowers more than the feeders until they have learned to use the feeders either from seeing other hummers use them or by investigating them on their own. The percentage nectar varies from flower to flower. 4:1 is the median and they are quite happy with it and between that and they insects they glean from plants, etc they get all they need for their survival. It is not known what effect a higher sugar to water ratio can have over the long term as we don't have them under a microscope 24-7 365. Just because they seem fine while they are with us doesn't mean that there aren't health issues when they aren't with us.

Penny

To butterfly pixie and beckygardner you are welcome. After reading the article , it seems the hummers know how much energy they need, if its 1-1 they will feed less often and with the diluted mix they will feed more often. It appears the rich mixture would be great in the spring for they will be hungry from their trek back and also for attracting them to your gardens. For me thou I feel the rich mixture will be short term just to get the hummers coming around and then I will dilute back almost to what I originally had. Plus the fact I would rather see the hummers more often than less. But for the hummer lover who made this thread and is lucky enough to live in an area where hummers are abundant , it creates different problems and they have to follow what they feel is right. I only posted the article for all too read and gain some insight. Good luck to all--Steve

I'm a newbie feeder. I have a youngster that has been hanging out perching in the same spot a lot. Of course it is across from my large Salvia plants but it seems he perchs more than eats and doesn't look like the weight of the others his age I have seen. Should I increase the sugar ratio then? If I understood the article right it seems like I should. I now feed 3-1 mix. I live in Tucson AZ it is getting down in the mid to upper 40's some nights, we are still hot during the day.
Thanks for any advice.

Jennie there is no need to increase the sugar/water ratio from 3:1. They do not survive on sugar water/nectar alone. They also get their protein from tiny insects such as fruit flies, gnats, white fly and aphids. They also need water which they get from the nectar. The higher the sugar content is the less water their bodies can extract and utilize. Also with a higher sugar content in the heat, the nectar becomes more syrup like and harder for the hummer to extract from the feeders. Plant nectar is very fluid and we are tying to keep it as close to plant nectar as possible.

We still don't know what higher concentrations can do to a hummer over a long period of time as we don't hold them captive to run experimental tests on them like is done on lab rats, monkeys etc. or what affect the higher concentation can have on their offspring. I still contend that it is best to stick with either 3:1 or 4:1 ratio as we DO KNOW that most plant nectar used by hummers falls in this area of concentration.

BTW, night time temps in the 40's are not too cold for a hummingbird. I am in western NY and I have had hummers when our day time temps were in the mid to high 30's. If temps get really cold, a hummingbird goes into a state of torpor (sort of suspended animation) to conserve energy and body heat. Check out the Southeasern Ariz. Bird Observatory in Bisbee for more information. Sherry is a naturalist and wildlife rehabber and master bander and has written field guilds on Hummingbirds. She and her husband co founded the Observatory in the 80's. They offer workshops, tours, etc. so she really knows what she is talking about and in my opinion one of the best sources of accurate information. She no longer posts here but she does post on other forums as time permits

Penny

Thanks again for the info, I will read, read, read. Wish I could get out to the Observatory but not likely to happen. I will read the info on their site. Thanks