I have these awesome hummingbirds that come around. I had one feeder that didn't attract any. I was told to strengthen the formula to help draw them to it. Then I got ants...YUCK. Anyway these cool little fellas are just awesome to wake up to but I absolutely suck at attracting them. Help?

My mom I know has a bunch of hummingbird feeders around her yard - they seem to work at attracting them. I know the feeders are just the normal ones you can buy in stores, I don't know what she does to keep ants away though, if anything.

I do know that she changes the sugar water in the feeders a lot - like once every few days, and cleans the feeder pretty often too. She hangs them under trees and in areas with a lot of natural cover, not sure if that makes a difference or not.

Good luck! I wish I could set out hummingbird feeders, but we live in an apartment with no yard access. If you ever get any to feed from your feeders, take pictures!!

Do you have a patio or something? I have seen a few hanging on apartments I walk by.

We hung our feeder from the gutter over our back window so we (and Lucy) can enjoy watching them. I just mix a sugar/water solution (warm the water so the sugar will dissolve easier) I've never had an ant problem.

Nope no patio. We live on a pretty busy street in the city, and in an upper level apartment. Luckily there is a park only a few blocks away that has a really nice butterfly/hummingbird garden, so I can go see them there.

Mine was hanging by my back door while I was growing up. Maybe the solution was too strong?

The Hummzinger bird feeders are the best hummingbird feeders I've ever seen/encountered. I have the smaller version (ant moat and insect guards included) and hot**** is it easy to clean! Pop off the top, give the pieces a scrub and voila.

The solution should ONLY EVER be 1 cup of white granulated sugar to 4 cups of water. Boil then immediately remove from heat. Let cool and add to feeder. Anything stronger can harm the birds (including if you made it with dye or honey).

If you want to attract hummingbirds to your garden you can try the following plants:
1. Bee Balm
2. Red Columbine
3. Delphinium and Hollyhock
4. Butterfly Bush (unfortunately, invasive)
5. Catawba Rhododendron
6. Rose of Sharon
7. Trumpet Vine and Trumpet Honeysuckle
8. Cardinal Vine
9. Lantana and Fuchsia
10. Silk Tree (unfortunately, invasive)

The feeder should have areas where the hummingbird can rest and be slightly hidden (bushes, etc.)

Hopefully this helps ^^

I heard somewhere that hummingbirds burn SO MUCH energy from flapping their wings a billion (yes, I know I am exaggerating) times a second that they plan their route around where they find food, and if you forget to put any out then the time it takes them to get from your feeder to their next stop might burn up enough energy to kill them. Does anyone know if that is true?

most places around would have enough plants that they could naturally find something to eat, they don't have to have feeders to live.

i would suggest adding more red around the area. it appears to attract them. Maybe add more feeders in various locations around your yard or several close together less of a pain to fill that way.

Those are great tips BarkingPup! We put up two feeders last summer but didn't get any hummingbirds. I just love hummingbirds - their colors and sweet faces ...
I was told it might take a year before they show up to a new place with feeders. I definitely want them around this year, so I may incorporate some of those plants into my garden (which I also get to redo this summer!).