Hummingbirds feeding at a feeder are wonderful to watch. Assuming you managed to gain their trust and they are regular visitors, don’t break the bond by failing to maintain your feeder.In all likelihood, birds will simply stop visiting a dirty hummingbird feeder. The risk, if they don’t, is that contamination could well lead to sickness. Please be sure to follow the advice below and keep your (their) feeder as clean as possible.
You should clean your hummingbird feeders between every filling by flushing it with hot tap water. Doing so regularly will help you avoid using soap (hummingbirds hate the residual taste). If you neglected to clean your feeder well before putting it away for the winter, be sure to give it a thorough cleaning and scrubbing (using a pipe cleaner or bottle brush) and also follow the monthly maintenance steps that come next.
With every filling you should visually inspect your feeder for signs of mold. You are looking for black patches or spots. Once every month (or more frequently if you see mold) soak your feeder and all its parts in a solution of bleach and water. A quarter cup of bleach to a gallon of water is the recommended mixture. Let your feeder stew in the solution for no less than an hour and then give it a complete scrubbing with a brush and pipe cleaner. Rinse, rinse and rinse again. But even if you can’t completely eliminate the smell of bleach from the cleaner, any residual bleach will be neutralized by the sugar water you’ll add when you place it back outside and it naturally dissipates just like chlorine will in water over time.
Remember that warmer weather speeds both the spoiling of the nectar in your feeder and promotes faster growth of mold. Average temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit should prompt you to empty, rinse and inspect your feeder twice as often as you would in cooler conditions.
Hummingbird feeding is as much about responsible care of your little charges as it is about enjoying their company. Be a good host and maintain a regular schedule of hummingbird feeder cleaning. If you don’t feel you can commit to such a schedule, do yourself and the birds a favor and plant hummingbird attracting plants instead.
