If you have hummingbird feeders in your yard, then you are probably making your own nectar. One of the most common questions I see when it comes to making your own hummingbird food is, should you boil the water? The answer is you can if you want to, but no it is not necessary.
Quick answer: No, you do not have to boil the water when making hummingbird nectar. Read on to learn why.
Should You Boil The Water When Making Hummingbird Food?
I’ve seen a lot of debate around this topic. Audubon says;
“It’s not necessary to boil the water, but keep any extra nectar refrigerated, and empty the feeder every few days, more often in hot weather.”
There are three main reasons why people think boiling the water used to make nectar is necessary. Let’s do a little investigating into these ideas. Here are the bullet points, and below we will deep dive each one.
Key Takeaways
- As long as the water from your tap is safe for you to drink, it will be safe for hummingbirds. Boiling is not necessary to remove additional impurities. However if you use bottles or filtered water for drinking instead of your tap for safety reasons, you should also use that for your nectar.
- Hummingbirds contaminate the nectar just by sticking their beaks in it to drink. Therefore boiling ahead of time to try and start off with a “sterile” slate and avoid spoilage doesn’t make a significant difference.
- It takes time to wait for water to boil, and then for the nectar to cool off to room temperature after mixing. It usually is not worth all this extra time, and sugar at the proper 1:4 ratio will dissolve in room temperature water within a few minutes if stirred.
Does boiling water for hummingbird nectar remove impurities?
We all know tap water isn’t 100% pure and may contain small amounts of impurities. Some people believe that these impurities can cause injury to hummingbirds and boiling the water makes it safer for them to consume.
Boiling water can get rid of microorganisms and can help dissipate chlorine, but won’t remove much else. Municipal tap water has to follow strict guidelines to ensure it is treated and filtered to be safe for human consumption.
Of course, a hummingbird’s body and a human body are not the same thing. But in-depth studies have not been done to determine precise “safe consumption levels” for hummingbirds of various water impurities. However Audubon, hummingbird rehabilitators and other reputable organizations agree that if your tap water is safe for you to drink, it is safe for hummingbirds too.
Water quality does matter
I know there may be some of you who choose not to drink water straight from your tap. Each house is different and you may have local issues with hard water, well water, high iron content, high chlorine or other known pollutants. If you use an alternative water source for drinking in your home (bottled