[Beach Bum]

My wife and I left town for about a month and a half, back in June. Shortly before leaving, I refilled the hummer feeder.

We got back a few days ago and the hummers were loving it. They'd get a mouthful, and then fly around the patio, bouncing off the windows. No injuries, but having a lot of fun. This morning, I did the full routine of emptying, sterilizing and refilling. The hummers are still coming, but they seem to be having less fun. Incidentally, we only have about a half dozen who frequent our feeder.

Thoughts?

[jimforjim]

In my experience, if the liquid gets to the fermentation point, the hummers won't touch it. The fact that you were gone six weeks and still had liquid in your feeder upon your return, and yet had six hummers around ... er, how big is that feeder anyway?? Normally, when the weather gets over 80 degrees we'll change the liquid twice a week (if the hummers haven't emptied it), and even if we didn't, it would be full of all sorts of crap within a couple of weeks anyway.

To be fair, though, I wouldn't mind seeing some drunken hummingbirds...

Jim

[Beach Bum]

We don't get too many hummers until July. They seem to pass us by during breeding season and show up only for the summer party season. So it's possible they didn't get to my normal sized feeder until sometime in July. But, given the age of the nectar, I'm surprised it was so clear and not filled with nasties. However, based on their flying skills before I got the liquid changed, I'm pretty sure it was the equivalent of hard cider at least. They seemed to love it.

[Chris D]

drunken hummer. cool.............

[Beach Bum]

I've been watching them today from inside, through a large window. Now, after they take a sip, they fly over to the window and kind of star at me, as if to say "hey buddy, what happened to the good stuff"?

[Chris D]

write all this stuff down. i've always thought they were superior beings or extra - terrestrials. think pyramids and area 51 and all that. i'm still trying to remind my wife of some early hummers in our dating years. ain't science great!

we need a hummer olympics!

[Rob_D]

The sugar-water in the feeder starts to ferment in just a couple of days here, judging from the smell, so I change it often. The alcohol might account for the enthusiastically aggressive behaviour of one indigo-capped little thug who won't make room for anyone else to reach "his" bar.....

[Beach Bum]

Originally Posted by Rob_D

The sugar-water in the feeder starts to ferment in just a couple of days here, judging from the smell, so I change it often. The alcohol might account for the enthusiastically aggressive behaviour of one indigo-capped little thug who won't make room for anyone else to reach "his" bar.....

Yeah. Hummers tend to be mean drunks.

[PumaMan]

I change the nectar every two to three days in the hot summer, every four or five days in the cooler winter. I've always been afraid that if hummers drank the soured/fermented nectar that it would harm them, possibly kill them. I think I read that somewhere. Is that true?

[Beach Bum]

Originally Posted by PumaMan

I change the nectar every two to three days in the hot summer, every four or five days in the cooler winter. I've always been afraid that if hummers drank the soured/fermented nectar that it would harm them, possibly kill them. I think I read that somewhere. Is that true?

My Hummers were drinking nectar that was probably two months old, including July, when it was pretty hot and perfect for fermentation.

I think they may have had a little buzz going, but they didn't seem to mind, and I've had more Hummers this year than ever before. Still a small number, but there seems to be at least one or two at the feeders at all times. Of course, now, I'm changing the nectar regularly, as you do, but I don't see any damage to the population for the time we were gone. Incidentally, mine is the standard homemade nectar, sugar and water.

[PumaMan]

I also use just a sugar+water mixture. With four feeders, changing them every 2-4 days (depending on the season), 365 days a year, using something else would get expensive. I mix up about a half gallon, which is almost the exact amount needed for my four feeders. My feeders are almost empty in four days.

Besides, most articles I've read say that the red nectar-stuff is not even that good for the hummers, although I've seen heated arguments pro and con about this.