What kind of water is best for hummingbird feeder?

Hummingbirds are amazing little creatures that bring joy to backyard bird watchers everywhere. An essential part of attracting hummingbirds to your yard is providing them with a feeder full of fresh nectar. But what kind of water should you use in your nectar mixture? The type of water you use can make a big difference in the health and safety of the hummingbirds visiting your feeder.

Should you use tap water in hummingbird feeders?

Using plain old tap water in your hummingbird feeder is not recommended. Here’s why:

• Tap water contains chlorine and fluoride, which can be harmful to hummingbirds over time.
• Minerals and contaminants commonly found in tap water can cause the nectar to spoil faster.
• The pH level of tap water can be problematic. Hummingbirds thrive on nectar with a neutral pH of 7.

So while tap water won’t immediately poison hummingbirds, it’s best to avoid using unfiltered tap water in your feeders. Filtered or bottled waters are a better choice.

Is filtered water okay for hummingbird feeders?

Filtered water is a safer bet than straight from the tap. A basic Brita or PUR pitcher filter can remove most of the chlorine and fluoride from tap water. This helps create a healthier nectar solution.

However, even filtered tap water may still contain some minerals that can alter the taste of the nectar or cause it to spoil faster. And the pH still needs to be adjusted to an optimal neutral level.

If using filtered water, be sure to change it out every 2-3 days to keep it as fresh as possible. Also rinse the feeder thoroughly each time you refill it.

Should I use bottled water in hummingbird feeders?

Bottled waters, such as distilled, spring or purified, are a good choice for hummingbird nectar. Here are some of the benefits of using bottled water:

• It doesn’t contain chlorine, fluoride, or minerals that can harm hummingbirds.
• The pH is usually neutral or close to it.
• Contaminants are filtered out through the purification process.
• It tends to resist spoiling or growing mold as quickly as tap water mixtures.

Make sure to read the label and choose a bottled water that doesn’t have added minerals or a high pH level. Distilled water is usually the purest type.

The downside of bottled water is the impact on the environment produce plastic waste. This can be mitigated by using recyclable plastic bottles. Or by getting water from a water store dispenser which fills reusable jugs.

What about using natural water sources?

Some people advocate using natural water sources like rain water or spring water in hummingbird feeders. This seems like a good eco-friendly approach, but there are some potential problems with using rain or untreated spring water:

• Bacterial contamination – rainwater can pick up bacteria as it runs off rooftops and gutters.
• Acidity – untreated rain and spring water tends to be acidic with a low pH.
• Minerals – spring water often contains high mineral content.
• Debris – you’ll need to filter out any leaves, dirt or bugs from collected rainwater.

With proper filtration and pH adjustment, natural water sources can work. But it takes a bit more effort to make sure the water is safe for hummingbirds.

An easier natural option is to use bottled spring water, which will have been treated for contaminants and filtered of debris. Just make sure the pH level on the label is close to neutral.

Should I adjust the pH when making nectar?

Yes, adjusting the pH is recommended no matter what water source you use. Here’s why pH matters:

• Low pH can leach nutrients from nectar and make it unpalatable to hummingbirds.
• High pH can encourage bacterial growth causing the nectar to spoil.
• A neutral pH of 7 provides the ideal taste and health benefits.

Use test strips designed for hydroponics or aquariums to check the pH of your pre-mixed nectar. If it’s outside of the optimal 6.5-7.5 range, you can adjust it with a small amount of lemon juice (to lower pH) or baking soda (to raise pH).

Be cautious only adding tiny amounts at a time, stirring thoroughly and retesting to slowly reach the desired neutral pH.

Should I boil or heat the water first?

Boiling water before mixing hummingbird nectar is usually not necessary. Here’s why:

• If using pre-filtered or bottled water, contaminants are already removed.
• Heating water can cause vital nutrients to break down.
• The added sugar in nectar acts as a preservative against microbial growth.
• Boiling can make water more alkaline – throwing off that ideal neutral pH.

The exception would be if you are collecting rainwater or spring water straight from a backyard stream. In that case, boiling first is advised to kill any potential bacteria or protozoans.

When using tap, filtered or bottled water, focus more on adjusting the pH than on boiling the water.

Does the water brand matter?

All major bottled water brands, such as Dasani, Aquafina, Poland Spring, etc, are fine to use. The bigger factor than brand is the type and purity level.

Here are some good options:

• Distilled – Pure H20 with minerals removed through evaporation. The optimal choice.
• Purified – Filtered of contaminants and often reverse-osmosis purified.
• Spring – Naturally filtered underground and contains beneficial minerals.
• Artesian – From tapped underground springs, so very clean.

Avoid mineral waters high in salts or sulfates. Check the label for less than 150ppm total dissolved solids. Osmosis filtered, deionized or sterile waters also work well.

Can I use homemade nectar mixtures?

Making your own DIY nectar mixtures with natural ingredients like fruit juice or coconut water may seem healthy. But it’s best to stick to basic white refined sugar and pure water.

Here’s why homemade nectar’s aren’t ideal:

• Fruit juices can spoil quickly and grow mold.
• Added flavors can actually repel hummingbirds.
• The sugar content and pH will be inconsistent.
• Precise nutritional balance is unknown.

Unless you have exact measurements and a background in hummingbird nutrition, store-bought or homemade concoctions could do more harm than good.

Are additives or juices beneficial in nectar?

Things like vitamins, electrolytes, food coloring and flavor extracts seem like a good way to enhance store-bought nectar powders. But the truth is, nothing additional needs to be added.

In fact, these kinds of additives can negatively impact the birds:

• Red dye can be toxic to hummingbirds.
• Flavors and scents may deter hummingbirds from feeders.
• Feeding vitamins disrupts their natural diet.
• Electrolyte packets contain minerals that alter nectar chemistry.

It’s best to never add anything extra to premade nectar mixes. The only ingredients should be sugar and water in a 4:1 ratio. Keep things as simple as possible.

Can I mix up nectar in advance?

It’s generally not recommended to mix up batches of hummingbird nectar more than 1-2 days in advance. Here’s why:

• Sugar water breeds bacteria and fungi once mixed.
• Nectar spoils rapidly at warm temperatures.
• The ratio can get thrown off as water evaporates over time.
• Excess batches take up space in the fridge.

If you want to have some premixed, only make as much as you’ll use in 48 hours. And keep it refrigerated until putting it in feeders.

For longer storage, the dry nectar powder is shelf-stable until opened. Mix up small amounts as needed.

Is well water or river water okay for nectar?

Straight well water or water collected from a river or stream is not the best choice for hummingbird nectar. Here’s why:

• High mineral content – Well water contains high dissolved solids.
• Contamination – Surface water harbors bacteria and parasites.
• Incorrect pH – Untreated water tends to be acidic.
• Safety – Impossible to check purity without testing.

If using well water, you’ll need a heavy duty water filter that removes minerals and contaminants. For surface water, boiling for 10 minutes is required to kill microorganisms.

To avoid the hassle and be sure water is safe, it’s recommended to use distilled, purified or spring bottled water for your nectar.

Should I avoid reconstituted bottled water?

Some bottled water is made by reconstituting purified water with added minerals after the filtration process. Examples include Dasani and Aquafina.

While reconstituted water is safe for human consumption, it may not be ideal for hummingbird nectar. Here’s why:

• Added minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium can alter nectar chemistry.
• The higher mineral content can potentially lead to build-up and clogging of feeder ports.
• Reconstituting alters the pH, usually making it more alkaline than neutral.

To avoid potential issues, choose a non-reconstituted bottled water when mixing nectar. Good options are distilled, purified, spring or artesian waters.

Is dechlorinated water necessary for hummingbird nectar?

If using plain tap water, removing chlorine and chloramine compounds through dechlorination is recommended. Exposure to these chemicals can be harmful to hummingbirds over time.

However, with filtered or bottled waters, dechlorination is less critical since most purification methods already filter out chlorine.

These are some ways to dechlorinate water:

• Use dechlorinating drops or tablets for aquariums.
• Let water sit uncovered for 24 hours so chlorine dissipates.
• Boil water for 5 minutes to drive off chlorine compounds.
• Use activated carbon or charcoal filters.

Checking with test strips to be sure the chlorine level is at 0 ppm is advised. Then adjust pH as needed to create healthy nectar for hummingbirds.

Does the nectar need to be boiled after mixing?

There is no need to boil pre-mixed nectar before putting it out in feeders. Here’s why:

• Boiling can concentrate and alter the sugar-water ratio.
• It can drive off beneficial volatile compounds.
• Sugar acts as an anti-microbial once dissolved.
• Heat diminishes nutritional value over time.

As long as fresh distilled or bottled water is used, the nectar solution shouldn’t harbor anything harmful.

The only exception would be if making large batches and storing for longer than 2-3 days. In that case, briefly heating to 176°F before refrigerating can help inhibit microbial growth.

Does mineral water work for nectar?

It’s best to avoid using mineral water, which has added calcium, magnesium, potassium and other minerals. While fine for human drinking, it’s not ideal for hummingbird nectar for a few reasons:

• The extra minerals can accumulate and clog feeder ports.
• Minerals alter the pH, usually making it more alkaline.
• The taste can become unpleasant with high mineral content.

Stick with distilled, purified, spring or artesian water which doesn’t have extra minerals added. The small trace amounts found naturally in spring water are fine.

Also, avoid artificially softened water, which replaces calcium and magnesium with sodium.

Does reverse osmosis water work for nectar?

Reverse osmosis (RO) water is perfectly safe to use for making hummingbird food. Here are some benefits of using RO water:

• It removes up to 99% of contaminants and minerals.
• The filtration process results in pure water.
• RO water prevents build-up of mineral deposits in feeders.
• The neutral pH doesn’t require as much adjustment.

One downside is that RO systems are somewhat wasteful, with multiple gallons of water used to produce one gallon of filtered water.

But overall, RO water is cleaner and safer for hummingbirds than tap or well water. It provides similar purity as distilled bottled water.

Is deionized water good for hummingbird nectar?

Deionized water is perfectly safe to use in homemade nectar. The deionization process removes minerals, salts, metals and ions found in regular drinking water by passing it through electrically charged resins.

Here are some benefits of using DI water for hummingbird food:

• Removes dissolved mineral solids that can block feeders.
• It has a neutral pH closer to the ideal range.
• Prevents substances that can alter nectar chemistry.
• Low mineral content inhibits microbial growth.

The only potential downside is that deionization doesn’t filter out bacteria or protozoans. So it’s mainly beneficial for removing harmless minerals.

Overall, deionized water makes a safe and healthy choice for mixing hummingbird nectar.

Can I use distilled vinegar to clean feeders?

Yes, distilled white vinegar is safe and recommended for cleaning hummingbird feeders. Here’s why vinegar is a good choice:

• It’s inexpensive, natural and eco-friendly.
• Helps break down and dissolve sugar deposits inside feeders.
• Has anti-bacterial properties to inhibit mold and fungus growth.
• Can be easily rinsed out with water so no residues remain.

To clean with vinegar, mix equal parts hot water and plain white distilled vinegar. Soak feeder parts and scrub with a small brush. Rinse thoroughly before reassembling.

Cleaning with vinegar once a week helps keep feeders fresh and hummingbirds healthy.

Conclusion

Providing hummingbirds with fresh, clean nectar is crucial to their health. Use distilled, purified or spring bottled water whenever possible. Avoid tap water or mineral enriched waters. Always double check the pH and adjust to a neutral level. With the proper water and a hygienic feeding environment, you can feel good about welcoming hummingbirds to your yard!