Preservative for Hummingbird Syrup?

Bee honey

Please do not use honey. According to

http://www.birdwatching.com/stories/humfeeder.html

"Do not use honey, which can cause a fatal fungal infection on the birds' tongues."

Lesson learned: Do not use advice from blogs on issues of health, unless it is supported by referenced science.

It takes only a bit of effort to mix smaller fresh batches every day or so, and it is safer for the hummingbirds.

Lemon juice is better

it has nothing to do with the batch in the fridge, .......in the feeder , unless you have enough birds to empty every it day it it will spoil....... i'd plan on changing it every day, and only putting in as much as they eat that day.......

Nisin -- an amino acid

Sorry about the bee honey statement. Have been corrected by two others so thanks. Dawn one of my correctors said to plant flowers that will attract your birds. She said there is a commercial hummingbird syrup available via e-Bay. Again sorry.

Is it necessary to feed Hummingbirds syrup?.I feed Parrots with barley and water as shown in below pic.

Is it necessary to feed Hummingbirds syrup?.

yes it is, because nectar (syrup) is their main food, of course you couldalways put out a bowl of insects for them to nibble on..........

Hummingbirds are very small birds with a high metabolism. A great deal of energy is spent flying, so they must feed almost constantly. Hummingbirds can consume up to 50% of their weight in sugar (nectar solution) each day. They usually feed on nectar and insects. Hummingbirds actually lap up the nectar with their tongues. A lot of people think that hummingbirds have a hollow tongue like a straw. Their tongues do have grooves on the sides that collect nectar. When the bill constricts, the hummingbird can swallow the nectar from flowers and feeders.

http://www.wbu.com/education/hummingbirds.html

You should not add anything, hang the feeder in a shady spot, that should keep it longer.

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/hummingbird-food.shtml

Well! Thank you all so much for your advice! I think I will first try a little lemon juice in a (of course) controlled experiment and see if it that helps. If not, I'll resign myself to making syrup daily. (I have 6 feeders all around the house and so do make and go through quite a bit of syrup.) I wish I was smart enough to construct a feeder with a sterile sugar/water solution and filter the air but maybe someone will someday. Meanwhile, thank you again for your various answers to my question.

you don't have to make it daily, it will keep in the fridge for a week easily............you only have to change it out of the feeder daily.....

yes. I make a half gallon at a time! I mean to change it out of the feeders daily. thank you!

it is probably coming from the sun causing it to turn cloudy. maybe use container that is not transparent.