How Often Should You Change Hummingbird Food In Summer?

Last Updated on January 30, 2022 by Guillermina

How often should you change hummingbird food in summer? Knowing this will help prevent feeding your iridescent visitors with contaminated nectar solutions. We definitely do not want our sweet hummers to fall sick from contaminated nectar food.

Therefore, it is very important to change hummingbird feeder solutions from time to time. The change in temperature during various climates all year round determines how often the feeder’s nectar needs to be changed.

The feeder’s nectar does go bad or ferment. Hummingbirds may consume even if it is just once or twice. And this may cause a bad effect on these birds. The taste of the feeder will even taste unpleasant to hummingbirds. Then they may not come around again then their visit around your garden reduces drastically.

So, changing the feeder’s nectar shouldn’t be a second thought even if it has been consumed or not.

This article will give a clear answer to how often should you change hummingbird food in summer.

How Long Does Hummingbird Food Last In Hot Weather?

So, how often should you change hummingbird food in summer? In hot weather with a temperature above 75 degrees Fahrenheit, wash the feeder and change the feeder’s nectar after two or three days. Once it’s more than three days, becomes unsafe for hummingbirds to consume.

Washing feeders and changing nectar twice a week in a region with a lower temperature is okay. The hot weather makes nectar ferment and causes mold and bacteria to grow. Spoilt or fermented nectar solution is really bad for hummingbirds’ health.

The summertime should be a time to be more observant of feeders. Always check every day to know if the feeder’s nectar is still very much okay. In regions where the temperature is extremely high, you might still be wondering about how often should you change hummingbird food during summer.

Clean the feeder and change nectar more often, preferably daily. Do this most especially if feeders are usually under direct sunlight. Placing feeders under the shade can help keep the nectar cool and safe. The nectar solution will still be fresh even when the weather is hot during the day.

Keeping hummingbird feeders outside during hot weather is really dangerous to the birds’ health. It makes all sorts of harmful microorganisms grow in the feeder. This causes hummingbirds to get infected with diseases. And these diseases are really dangerous.

Some of them are:

Some Diseases Caused By Not Changing Hummingbird Feeder At Appropriate Times

1. Candidiasis

Candidiasis is a fungal disease. Hummingbirds get infected with it when they feed on infected nectar or feeder. It usually appears on the hummingbird’s tongue.

2. Aspergillosis

This is a type of disease that is caused by airborne fungal spores. It infects hummingbirds’ intestines and causes digestive disorders.

3. Salmonella

This is a kind of bacteria that cause ruffled feathers, lack of energy, and diarrhea in hummingbirds. This bacterium is also harmful to humans.

4. Avian Poxvirus

It is a tumor that appears and starts growing on the beak of a hummingbird. This tumor makes it impossible for the bird to feed.

It’s not unusual to want to know how to keep hummingbird food fresh for a reasonable period of time. Let’s take a look at ways on how to keep their food safe and fresh.

1. Endeavor to place feeders under the shade.
2. Don’t leave nectar in the feeder for long, even though a drop was not taken from it. This should apply to regions with high temperatures. Change the nectar from time to time.
3. Wash and rinse out the feeder very well before refilling with nectar.
4. Throw away old nectar. Always refill the feeder with fresh nectar.
5. Don’t fill the feeder full if you’re always having too much nectar left to throw away.

Learn more about When To Put Out Hummingbird Feeders In Texas? Here’s The Best Time

Should You Feed Hummingbirds All Summer?

You can keep putting hummingbird feeders outside all through summer. However, always take note of the temperature and change the feeder when necessary. If possible, it can be a few days before hummingbirds start coming around your vicinity.

Do this till there are no more hummingbirds coming around probably till when they start migrating which is close to winter periods. However, you should maintain a hummingbird feeder all year round in an area where hummingbirds are always around.

Will Hummingbirds Die If You Stop Feeding Them?

Although hummingbirds may sometimes depend on us for some nectar solution, they can definitely live without our feeders. This is mainly because these birds are wild birds and they can obtain their food source from other places such as flowers in the wild.

So, if you will be traveling for a couple of days and you’re concerned for these birds; you don’t need to worry about how they will feed if no one is around to put feeders up in your area.

Hummingbirds Also Need Water

Water is very essential for living things as well as hummingbirds to survive. This means how often you should change hummingbird food in summer shouldn’t be the only concern.

They also need as much energy compared to half of their body mass. Hence, dehydration is a big challenge for them. During summer, they need more energy to withstand the heat. Hummingbirds don’t have the luxury of enough sources of water.

Due to the fact that hummingbirds don’t get enough water to drink during a period when they need more and it’s scarce, they suffer health issues. These health issues are usually caused by dehydration and tiredness. There are ways you can help hummingbirds get access to so much water during summer.

Let’s take a look at them;

1. Get a water mister and place it close to the feeder.
2. You can also put and maintain a clean bath in your garden or yard.
3. Be consistent in watering your garden.
4. Endeavor to always place hummingbird feeder and nectar-producing plants in the shade.

Conclusion

Trying to know how often you should change hummingbird food in summer shows how compassionate one is towards catering to the birds. So, change the nectar at least twice a week when the temperature is about 75 degrees Fahrenheit and above. And when the temperature is cooler, change it once a week.

So, this article gives you answers to many questions about the question; how often should you change hummingbird feeder in summer?