With their brilliant feathers and cool mid-air hovering, hummingbirds bring joy. As a birder, you'll want to attract more hummingbirds and provide them with food so you can enjoy their company.
They will return year after year if the feeder is placed properly and the sugar water is fresh. Though buying the right feeder (spoiler alert: upgrade to a saucer-shaped one) can help prevent nectar spills,
we recommend being an attentive hummingbird parent and following five maintenance tips to keep it from leaking. Instead of setting and forgetting your feeder, maintain it weekly.
Sugar water pools attract bees and ants, thus a leaky hummingbird feeder is bad. Less nectar for the birds if it leaks. Leaks may indicate loose or faulty seals.
Check your feeder regularly to avoid leaks. First, transfer sugar water to another container. Your feeder should be properly built, all pieces securely attached, and ports and reservoirs undamaged.
Crystals from sugar water can block ports, so clean the feeder monthly (or twice weekly in hot weather). Use pipe cleaners or tiny brushes with warm water and no soap.
If your feeder is leaking, check its location. Plastic feeders that spend much of the day in direct sunlight may expand and compress, causing leakage. Consider whether its location is windy and gusty.
If so, move the feeder to a shady, wind-protected place and take it down in bad weather. Our final tip applies exclusively to feeders with removable perches: Hummingbirds can flap their wings 5,400 times a minute, allowing them to drink without perches.