Whether you are making your own nectar or not, keeping your nectar feeder clean is of utmost importance. How often should you clean your hummingbird feeder? You should go ahead and clean your hummingbird feeder every time you change out the nectar, every 1-6 days depending on the outside temperature. The hotter it is outside, the more often you’ll need to clean your feeder and put out new nectar to avoid spoilage, mold and bacterial growth.
How often to clean your hummingbird feeder
The hotter it is, the quicker nasty bacteria will grow in the nectar. Bacteria and microorganisms can be harmful themselves, but they also drive fermentation. When the sugar water ferments, those microorganisms turn the sugar into alcohol, which a hummingbird liver cannot handle much of. Black mold is another nasty problem that shows up on many hummingbird feeders and can be fatal.
This chart we created will help you figure out how many days you can go, based on the outside high temperature, before cleaning is needed. As you can see when it is in the low 70’s or under you can leave it out for about six days. However once it hits the 90’s, you’ll need to freshen and clean daily!
Making sure you follow this chart closely, even if the nectar looks fine. However always change the nectar and clean the feeder if you notice any of the following:
- cloudy / milky, stringy, floating particles
- strong odor too sweet or too sour
- mold growing inside the reservoir or around the ports
- sticky or crystallized residue around the ports which may make it hard for them to get their beak inside and drink. happens more in upside down feeders.
Most importantly, feeders must be cleaned between refillings. You can’t just “top it off” with more nectar, you need to dispose of the old nectar, take the feeder in and wash it, then put out fr