Hummingbird, Oriole Nectar Feeder Cleaning
Hummingbird and Oriole Nectar Feeder Cleaning
Your hummingbird feeders need to be cleaned, and nectar changed every 3-4 days to avoid the sugar water solution from getting spoiled and unhealthy for the birds. You might need to do this more frequently in hotter weather. If you see black flecks inside your feeder take it down and clean it right away. Sugar water is a great breeding ground for mold and bacteria, so take precautions to keep hummingbird and oriole nectar feeders clean! Back speckles in the feeder could be mold, so scrub it out well with a effective bottle brush. If you can not get to the inside the reservoir with a bottle brush, try a light bleach solution with water and agitate the feeder to remove the mold. Rinse very well! Then rinse again just to be sure. Rinse and clean hummingbird nectar feeder every time you change the food.
Using bleach could cause the color on the feeder’s plastic components to fade. We do not use bleach on our feeders parts that are colored, only on the clear reservoir. Alternatively, hot soapy water is used on red parts of nectar feeders. If a plastic feeder is listed as dishwasher safe we put the whole dang thing in the dishwasher, red parts and all.
As an option to bleach, we have heard of people utilizing grains of uncooked rice BBs and even sand as tiny abrasive “scrubbers. to clean with” The method is, using a funnel, put 1/4 c. rice or BBs into the feeder and fill it halfway with warm water. Cover the opening and shake well. We have not tried out this system, but if you do not care to use bleach, it is an alternative.
A cotton swab is your friend and quite helpful in removing dirt or mold stuck in feeder ports., but the easiest solution to thoroughly cleaning out tiny feeding port holes is specialty small brushes:
Hummingbird Feeder Cleaning Brush
These brushes are also available in complete sets which are handy for bottle style hummer feeders, including brushes convenient for bottle style feeders:
Hummingbird Feeder Cleaning Brush Set
You can shop for a variety of hummingbird feeder cleaning supplies at Hummingbird Feeder Accessories as well as S for Hummingbird Feeders or visit a selection of Pre-Made Hummingbird Food and Nectar Concentrate.