Most of us are familiar with hummingbird feeders that are filled with store bought or homemade nectar. We have also seen hummingbirds drink from nectar feeders as well as fly from flower to flower, probing with their long bill for the nectar inside. But what most people don’t know, is that a large part of the hummingbird diet is insects!
A well rounded hummingbird diet consists of both nectar and insects. Nectar is great for quick energy, and keeping up with hummingbirds incredibly fast metabolism. But nectar only provides sugar, carbohydrates and some amino acids. Insects can add needed proteins, vitamins and fats.
Hummingbirds swallow their prey whole. Their legs are short and stubby and can’t help with grasping or tearing prey. Their bills are long and thin, not well suited for cracking open a hard shell. So their only option is to choose small, soft bodied insects that they can swallow easily.
Hummingbirds favorite insects to eat
- mosquitoes
- spiders
- gnats
- fruit flies
- aphids
- ants
- mites
- weevils
- small beetles
How to feed insects to hummingbirds
In the wild, sap from trees (exposed by sapsuckers) as well as fruit (especially rotting fruit) can attract a lot of fruit flies. By using overripe fruit, you can attract fruit flies for your hummingbirds to feast on.
1. Use a specialized feeder
HummBug Hummingbird Feeder
Used sliced bananas inside this feeder to attract fruit flies, that will then swarm and multiply in the feeder. The red on the feeder will attract hummingbirds, that can then fly past and catch fruit flies buzzing around the outside or sit on the perch ring and probe into the feeders slits.
This can be very hit or miss, as you can see by the reviews. And anytime you have fruit sitting outside you run the risk of attracting other pests you might not want. Keep that in mind if trying this method.
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2. DIY bucket feeding
By breeding fruit flies in a bucket, you can release some beneficial insects to your hummingbirds every day. I found this DIY method that might be fun to try –
- Using an empty bucket with a lid, drill several small holes in the lid
- Add two bananas to the bucket and leave outside with the lid off for a day or two. On