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If you have never had the pleasure of witnessing a fluttering hummingbird drinking nectar from a flower or feeder on a warm, sunny day you are surely missing one of nature's most awe inspiring treats. And basic, plastic hummingbird feeders are the ideal way to attract these tiny but amazing birds to your front or backyard all springtime and summertime long.

Hummingbirds in reality possess a lengthy, forked tongue that's used to lick nectar as many as 13 times per second either from a blossom or a feeder and acts as a trough pulling the nectar in. Although hummingbirds do consume a number of insects and pollen, sweet nectar consists of ninety percent of their overall diet.

Simple sugar water using four parts warm water and one part regular white sugar boiled for about two minutes are all that's needed to attract families of hummingbirds to your feeders.

Once the neighborhood hummingbirds find out where your feeders are located they are going to return time and time again. The birds will soon become dependent upon the nectar you've been delivering, particularly as the cooler, fall months approach when they will have to double their size to get ready for the lengthy journey south for the winter.

Be sure to keep your hummingbird feeders full and cleaned on a weekly schedule, or even more often if you notice a dark mold start to develop. The mold that develops in feeders with nectar is harmful to the birds and needs to be removed without delay.

Use some vinegar and hot water (one part white vinegar, four parts water) along with a bottle brush to get into the crevices. Wash and rinse the feeders thoroughly a number of times to completely clear away all of the vinegar. In the event that you don't have a bottle brush handy, use some dry rice or even a handful of clean pebbles and shake the feeders vigorously to mix the solution.

Never use honey or any type of sugar substitutes in your hummingbird feeders since this promotes the development of possibly damaging bacteria. Reddish food coloring, which has long been employed in feeders to attract hummingbirds along with other birds, is likewise not advised. Rather, use a red feeder or hang a red-colored ribbon or a few beads close by to attract these miniature avian wonders.