My tip! Buy two sets of feeders. Have one set out at all times and one set to clean/soak at your leisure... then just fill and swap out the fresh feeders for the ones in use and repeat.

Thanking you for bringing that to the attention of everyone that feeds hummingbirds. It is extremely vital that you thoroughly wash their feeders because as you said bacteria will kill them. You can easily make your own nectar with sugar and water one part sugar four parts water. Please do not buy the red dye nectar. You do not need it nor do they need the red dye. Please please please try and be mindful when you purchase hummingbird feeders regardless of the cost that they have perches that the birds can land on while they feed. This is vital for them so that they can absorb the nutrition resting on the perch as they feed rather than burn it hovering and feeding. They truly are rare gems of nature and I thank you for bringing this to everyone's attention.

They do come apart! I have several of those also from Lowe’s. You have to twist the bottom piece and it separates in two pieces so you can clean it.

I knew this was an issue, I always try and clean them 2-3 days and keep my hummingbird friends healthy and happy. God bless and all the glory be to him. I thank him for his beautiful creatures.

When using your own mix (4-1), always boil water first. This will prevent mold to appear as fast.

For cleaning inside the yellow flowers, I use a Mascara brush. Sometimes the handle will come off, so I don't push it way down in. Bought a package of them at Walmart, for a dollar or so. I also use a baby bottle brush for getting inside the glass container. BTW, I got all mine from that Collections LTD, I think it was. Everything comes apart on these, and they are like $10 each. I had 8 of them up at 1 time, and couldn't hardly keep up with them.

That is a Phoebe singing loudly in the background. Sweet.

Great video and so important!!! If you rinse and refill your feeders every 2-3 days, you'll never get grotty buildup and never have a need to soak or scrub your feeders. It takes fewer than five minutes for me to bring a feeder in, rinse it inside and out in the hottest tap water, refill, and rehang. I do this all season, year after year, and my feeders never need actual "cleaning". I put them away clean and rinse them before using the next year. Easy peasy.

We're using the glass 1/4 pint mason jar type sold at Tractor Supply. Metal lids, 4 red flower ports and a wire handle. Very easy to clean.

It’s amazing how often Dollar Tree wins! Thanks for this.

Thank you for this video. I've been feeding hummingbirds for years. I talk to a lot of people who want to know what to do to attract them. Your video will be a nice addition with good info. Now if we could only get stores to stop selling ones that don't come apart for cleaning, that would be even better.

I’m not crazy about the plastic ones, I use the glass ones with the plastic or metal bottom part. I change/clean them weekly to prevent any bacteria. Thanks for your video, keep hummies healthy & happy 😃

Amen brother....thank you for sharing this with those people who put out hummer feeders♥️. I’ve been feeding them for years.....a note also....as the weather gets hot, the feeders need to be cleaned very often. It’s a responsibility we take on because we love these beautiful creatures so much.🌷💕

I always use the feeders at the Dollar Tree they cost less and are very effective in feeding my hummingbirds.

I agree with you! The perky pet feeders are nice looking, but they are so hard to clean. I switched to the Dollar tree $1 feeders 3 years ago and the are so easy to clean. Love them.

This year (2021) is the first time I’ve gotten hummingbird feeders. So thank you much for the important help.

Just bought a couple from the dollar tree,I'm glad they are the good news ones! I'm needing to borrow a drill to put up the hangers that were to hang plants from ,from the dollar tree to boot. This is my first time to attempt to put feeders out. Thank you for the tips and good advice.

Mine get scrubbed every two to three days depending on the temp and if they have been out in the sun too much (I try to move them to share on my deck under the umbrella because that's the sunniest part of the yard). I make fresh sugar water every couple of days because my 3 hummies invited their friends after a few weeks and I ended up feeding around 12. Fresh lil wee ones they are....empty feeder, they let me know lol They are such a joy, I love them and they have gotten used to me and my dog so quickly. WE ALL hang out on the deck together.

Thanks for sharing this, I'm starting to collect feeders and it's helpful to learn this stuff before I make any mistakes that could hurt some of these sweet birds.

Good point. I have one that you can disassemble completely including the flower part. That's where they're most likely to get bacteria from. I do prefer glass as it's easier to scrub clean with a bottle brush & really hot water. For the nectar 4:1 ration is correct with plain white pure cane sugar & cold water (not hot as it can contain other particulates), then bring to a rolling boil. Either leave it set out to cool or place in fridge or freezer to cool quicker. Do not use any other sweeteners as they're more likely to allow bacteria to grow & contain other ingredients harmful to hummingbirds. This includes raw sugar, brown sugar, molasses, honey, etc. Also, on the metal & plastic parts do not use any abrasive scrubbers or brushes as they can create scratches where the bacteria can grow.

Thank you for making this video. I don’t think enough people appreciate just how important it is to keep those hummingbird feeders clean.

I’ve discovered glass and metal hummingbird feeders. The liquid goes into a glass container and the part that holds the nectar is plastic and the ports are metal covered with enamel. It is the COLIBRI COLLECTION HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER. Easily cleaned and I think attractive. I have been using this style about 30 yrs, and I always keep several feeders on hand just in case. I don’t think the ones made of all plastic is a good idea because you can’t sterilize the interior where the liquid goes. The COLIBRI are more expensive but I also get a number of yrs use out of them. Hope this is helpful.

Been buying $ Tree Hummer feeders for years. In the south the sun just wears out anything in your yard., even hanging in trees, sun fades everything. I want to look at fresh feeder and think Hummer does too🙂? This year will buy a few extra, cause you never know when they will no longer carry. Great point on those other feeders, shame not made to open up and clean.

Simple but GREAT tip on feeder cleaning. Two thumbs up!

Thank you so much for this video! I would HATE to be causing a problem for these amazing little birds. I love to feed them and make my own nectar. Will make sure they are safe and healthy all summer for sure!!

Agree 👍 We are using a flat saucer like type of a feeder an clean the feeding holes with a miniature round brush to get rid of bacteria and mold. Change the nectar every 4-6 days , or whenever gets cloudy. Smaller, fresher portions are better than one big one every two weeks.

Thank you and GOD BLESS you for loving and showing us how to take good care of these beautiful GOD created beings

Nice to Know...I'm planning on getting a feeder so this is a timely video for me and the birds! Thanks brother

YES! I love my dollar tree feeder and hope they have those again so i will be stocking uo on them! They are a great size too ...thank you! Blessings, cc

Good video and sound advice. I agree and have discarded the same feeder that does not break down for cleaning. I have 12 of the feeds you showed from the dollar store. The are super easy to clean. I replace them every year usually because the top section with the hook breaks.

I had one that I didn't think came apart. With nothing to loose I used a butter knife and pressed into what looked like a sealed edge. It popped off...nasty inside but totally cleanable. I had almost through it out.

Thank You Thank You Thank You. I love my hummingbirds so much. Every year I can not wait for that little "TAP TAP TAP" on my window saying they have arrived. I always make sure that the hummingbird feeders are full so they can something too eat. But will do the same with the feeders.. thanks for the information..

Commendable attitude. Encouraging to see that some folks are responsible protectors of wildlife.

Thanks so much for sharing. I just got one and never would have thought other wise!

Thank you for this advice. I have four different variety of feeders. I just laid them out for inspection and being brand new at this will be examining them to make sure they are safe.

Great video! I have gotten rid of the ones I had that wouldn’t break down too. I also have made feeders from recycled glass bottles and use a bottle brush to clean them. My husband makes ornamental hangers from copper wire for those.

Baking soda/water is a good cleaning agent. After rinsing, use a little apple cider vinegar which will cause any traces of baking soda to foam. The vinegar is also a good cleansing agent, it has anti-bacterial/anti-mold properties. Rinse thoroughly. After it dries it's good to go.

Just came across this, and it just so happens that I bought those preferred feeders - the exact ones, also from the Dollar Tree! Now I'm off back to Dollar Tree to get some more. Thank you, good info. :)

I have 2 feeders that were purchased off of Amazon. The reservoir is glass and the base are 2 plastic parts that snap together. They only hold 12 ounces each and the hummers drain them every 2-3 days. This forces me to clean them as soon as the birds empty them. The glass can be easily cleaned of any mold with a bottle brush and hot water. But not much mold forms in 3 days. I make up the nectar in a glass mayonnaise jar and fill them with a funnel. Takes 5 minutes to swap them out and the hummers are waiting when I hang them up. They love these feeders!

Really glad that I read these this is the first year that we have any around our place so thanks I've learned a lot from everyone

I chose to get rid of all feeders with the flowers. There are simple ones, no flowers and super easy to clean daily. I use bottle brushes and tiny brushes to make sure there is no mold. My rule of thumb is 80 degrees or above, daily clean out; below 80, every other day. Love the hummers!

Man your land is like paradise. I used to keep out feeders also, and while the climate was fairly moderate in Southern Oregon many of my neighbors would put up hummingbird feeders and just not care for them at all. They bought the red juice and never cleaned them. I found the birds did not like the red stuff nearly as much as they liked plain old sugar water, and by making my own I could control the amount of sugar which is very important in winter for those birds that do not migrate south. More sugar = more energy which is vital in winter when they sleep so much more and can't get nectar 14 or 15 hours per day, but also because the more sugar you use the lower the temps have to be before the nectar freezes. While other feeders would freeze for days on end which means dead hummers, mine never froze and would keep them alive. By the way, I thoroughly cleaned my feeder at every fill up. I used a sugar to water ratio of 1 cup sugar to three cups water during the seasons where no freeze happens, and cut the water down to 1 sugar to two water in winter. I also kept it at a rolling boil then covered it while it cooled to room temperature before putting it in the bottle. Sometimes it would get just a very slight brownish cast to the liquid, that was just caramelization of the sugar and will not hurt the birds, and may even be tastier to them so you get better attendance. I would guess that 80% of people who feed hummers are doing them a disservice, they want to attract the birds and watch them frolic, but they do not want the work it involves little as that is. Overall I am thinking hummingbirds would be better off if feeder sales were just banned. In Alaska it is ill-advised to hang a feeder after September first till April because it encourages birds to not migrate, and birds there that do not fly south die, hummers cannot survive winter in Alaska even near the warmer coast simply because there are not enough daylight hours for them to get adequately fed to get through the long nights.

♥️ Thanks! I knew about this but I'm sure others didn't. I now feed my hummers only from an open dish and discard it every day with a good washing in between. That way I can be certain no hummers are harmed. I often just use a jar lid which almost empties each day. ♥️

“First Nature” feeders are awesome. Break down for cleaning, great quality at reasonable prices at Amazon and Walmart. I buy the small size so I clean it more often.

mold will kill them, in the summer, feeders should be cleaned about every 3 days. So as not to waste nectar, I only fill the feeders maybe 1/3 or halfway in the summer. As I have hummers year around, I clean the feeders in the winter every 5 days. I use the humzinger type feeders. More $$$ but very easy to clean.

Thanks for your information, God bless u..I love my birds n I don't want to harm them in any way.. I appreciate u taking time to inform us..have a bless day..Susie from Tx

Thanks for the warning about Lowe's $5 humming feeder. In the summer the feeder mix has to be changed out more frequently because the heat causes the nectar mix to ferment and go quicker. I change the feeder mix every week during the hotter months.

Good advice. Also important to buy a feeder that has a ‘moat’ on top to keep the ants out. I read that if an ant gets into the reservoir it will give off a poison that harms the hummingbird. Just be sure the moat always has water in it.

Wow! I'm so glad I saw this before I bought one! I'm going to look for the one that all the ones come apart.

Keeping the feeding bird feeders clean information was great time

I am a mod on Hummingbird Spot. So glad you brought the mold issue up.

Yes absolutely I had the same feeders. Every two days they were full of mold. So I switch to glass and they've been drinking 2 ounces every 2 days

Please!! Clean your feeders every two or three days. I have 8 feeders which I empty and refill at the most three days. Mold grows quickly even if you can't see it. I have a lot of traffic especially during migration and I fill them sometimes every day. Red dye doesn't kill them but it has no real use for them either. Hope this helps and enjoy your birdies.

wanted to start looking into having hummingbird feeders so this is helpful on searching for a good feeder!! thank you!

The use plastic instead of glass containers increases the growth of fungi in the nectar. I change the nectar thrice weekly and boil the disassembled pieces before filling with fresh nectar.

I'm glad to know that about the Dollar Tree feeder. That's the kind I have. I've used mine for several years without a problem. Just take it apart, wash with hot water and use a toothbrush to scrub the inside of the bottle.

Thnx for sharing. I always buy the feeders that split apart at the bottom tray. This allows for thorough cleaning. I agree bacteria and fungus will kill the hummingbirds not so much the red dyes. I also use pipe cleaners on the center opening in the flower as well. This tends to get cruddy as well. I make my own nectar by boiling water. 4 parts water to 1 part sugar ratio using Dominos pure sugar cane brand.

Thank You for this little bird tip, I didn't know, now I will police my feeders this is an excellent tip for spring! THANK YOU!!!!

so good to know how cleaning often (thoroughly ) is a must. 👍🌷 Bad bacteria is poison for the birds but feeder must be able to come apart for the thorough cleaning. Not to buy that expensive one he had to throw away was very informative 👍.

Oh wow!!! I just have 2 small ones that come apart. I noticed I had 2 hummingbirds coming and bought 2 feeders. I haven't seen them in about 2 weeks though. I have kept fresh nector in them though.. Thanks for the info!

Some great information, thanks for sharing your thoughts and great videos

Thank you! I change my feeder and thoroughly clean them out every 2-3 days. You do have to be very careful and some feeders are not as easy to clean as others.

Really good to know. I’m just getting ready to buy feeders and I’ll definitely check that they can be opened for cleaning. Thanks so much.

Good video! I've bought several feeders over the years.. I prefer the ones with a little perch so they can rest while they're feeding. and yes I clean mine out every 3 to 5 days

Walmart has one that breaks down and has a wide mouth for easy cleaning for about $4. It is perfect. A lady in California that feeds a bunch likes it best too. Her channel is Robbie and Gary. She and her husband garden as well. The feeder doesn't have the yellow flowers that are so hard to clean out either, and my hummingbirds love the feeder. I love the feeder because of the wide mouth making it super easy to clean out with a baby bottle brush. I think they can connect because the bottom looks like it lets one like it snap in. Looks like it, but I could be wrong. Thanks for sharing this video to keep them alive!

Your dollar tree kind is what i have also and yeah they are great for cleaning. I have found that heating some water and vinegar can clean up the hard to clean places and i use a pipe cleaner to get into the openings for their tongues so it also doesnt harm the birds. We have had some nice weather here in ontario this april but the birds dont have any natural food source here yet so they havent arrived. but I am patiently waiting on them. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you! Very good info. I never knew about the frequency. Was doing once every two weeks. Very few birds. But my problem are the giant black carpenter ants, that will sacrifice themselves to crawl in thru the feeder holes.

Exactly!! If you cannot break it down, its unsafe. I've used the same type $4.00 for years. It easily breaks down for cleaning and easier for my arthritic hand. Thanks!!

They don't cost just a dollar but I just ordered a hummer feeder from a Duncraft catalog. (Bird feeding/seed, etc), and it arrived yesterday in the mail. Glass and red plastic - comes apart for cleaning *and* if you have a bottle brush that fits your hummer feeder, great. If you don't, Duncraft sells a pack of three (3) brushes of different sizes to clean the flower ports, the nectar holder and the bottom.

The lowes feeder comes apart the same, just need to apply more force than a hummingbird. I do like the price though on the other.

Another consideration is to use a 1/8 inch drill to open holes on new feeders . Some feeders have been known to pinch their beaks and trap them to the feeder , killing them because the opening is too narrow ! Also use a small round brush or pipe cleaner to clean any mold from opening and thread grooves .Nectar needs changing every two days (after cleaning) as it turns yeasty. If you wait until you see mold then you need to increase your cleaning schedule or don’t start feeding them to rely on tainted food supply ! Plant or hang nectar rich flowers instead .

Used, thoroughly washed and cleaned mascara brushes work well to remove crud from the plastic flowers. As for red dye, I was told years ago by an ornithologist that red dye causes issues with fertility and possibly causes egg shells to be too thin. I don't know if those issues have been disproven or reinforced by research.

I get it ... NO BLEACH for cleaning them and NO FOOD COLORING needed for the nectar!!! 😁👍❤️ Happy holidays to all 🙋🇺🇸

My daughter bought beautiful ones. It has four parts. Glass, top part 4 holes for hummingbirds to drink, rubber washer, and bottom bowl. The rubber washer seems to be kinda too big as it keeps leaking so I add a piece of foam around the bowl and then put rubber washer over it and finally it is sealed tight no leaking.

Very Good and thank you for letting people know...Another bit of help is to purchase feeders with slits rather than holes,This prevents ants,bees,bugs from getting in and spoiling nectar :)

One of the biggest things is make sure your feeder is refreshed every 3 to 4 days and clean it often so you don't get that gunky black mold building up around the feeder ports. Awesome boil your sugar water before you put it in a storage container or in the feeders make sure it's room temperature before you put it outside although I have been guilty of putting it out when it was straight out of the refrigerator and a hummingbirds don't seem to mind they wait a couple minutes and then they start coming back to it.

I love my hummingbirds, I will be cleaning my feeders from now on, thank you..

I have the same one from Lowe’s. Didn’t thing it came apart either but it does. It pops together. Push it from the hole and lift it at the side.

Thank you soooo much for that very important Advice. It is so true. I only use the ones that I can clean inside. And the hummingbirds thank me. I have a lot of them.

Thank you for providing your video and information 👏

Thank you...the hummingbirds love you for this!

Good to know!! So happy I came across your video! Thankyou so much!!!

I like your channel and thank you for your service 👍

I agree with you I don’t even fill mine outback in the yard anymore because the bottoms do not come off. To be honest they need to take them kind of feeders off of the shelves if you ask me. I been using dollar store ones for about 5 years

*Yes.... We use the sugar water & Love the dollar tree ones they don't seem to leak like the more Expensive ones. Thank you for sharing such wonderful needed info. 😁😁😁* Sharon in SC

I have the exact feeder from Lowe's it snaps apart. Not easily but it does come apart

He is absolutely right! Depending on how hot the day may get, I will wash the feeders out at least 2x's per week in summer and give fresh necter every time. I recently purchase my first GLASS feeder but as he mentioned, the base could not be removed, this is the ONLY way to check for mold and OTHER things, especially around the treads on both pieces. Even though I use a 2 sided dog tooth brush around the ports ( both sides) I knew that there was no way to tell if the feeder was really clean. So I removed it and will throw it in the garbage. I have been feeding hummers every summer for 4 yrs. now and they return to their feeders , to the same spot. As for the water mote , THIS HAS WORKED ever since I first saw it demonstrated on KZfaq . I made my own as directed and wash them out as well with a small brush. I will also use diluted bleach to disinfect them and rinse them out very well. Replacing them is a breeze if needed as the hooks will eventually start to rust since they are exposed to water unless you coat them with something to prevent that from happening. I apply peppermint e.o. to the SPACES between the ports and that keeps... bees, hornets and other flying OBJECTS AWAY. THIS WORKS !! Remember also that GLASS IS BETTER than plastic as it does not contain toxins that will leach into the the nectar as plastic might. HOPE EVERYONE HAS A WONDERFUL SUMMER IN SPITE OF WHATS GOING ON.

I get the ones with a lip at each flower so they can sit, rest and eat if they want to

Make sure you’re using regular granulated table sugar! Thanks for posting about cleaning the feeders!

I had a similar problem with a large feeder type I use to pamper my pets (see what I did there?). Since the bottom doesn't come apart, I found that a 1" diameter bottle brush with about 4-5" of brush length can be easily bent into a hook shape, and can be used to scrub the base quite easily and effectively. I like these feeders as the bottle section is a simple cylinder I can actually each into with a scrubby or a brush to clean.

Love seeing the chickens in the background. I stop using feeders. I have plenty of hummingbird plants.

I just bought this same one 4 a dollar! So glad they are good feeders

Oh God, thank you. I did not know this until now. Thank you so much for this video.

Great advise buddy! Much appreciated!

Great video! Thank you so much!

I have the same feeder..You CAN open the bottom! I use a wood spoon handle and push the bottom apart by holding the spoon in the center...easy to clean

lord i have 2 of the old ones you showed exact one and i also struggled getting them clean used a brush etc flush with hose but still moldy. getting rid of them tomorrow . i have 4 in the yard just got hummers come in today.

Wow😮!!.. thank you soooo much for sharing.

Great video, thank you for sharing. I hope that people that see this, share ot with people they know that use feeders.

Thank you ! I'm a clean fanatic and I certainly don't want to harm Hummingbirds