Hummingbird nectar ratio calculator

Three institutions publish this recipe and all three give the same ratio. The arithmetic below is theirs; the only thing this page adds is doing it for the quantity in front of you, and putting the cleaning interval beside it, because that is the part the sources treat as mandatory.

The ratio, from three sources

Audubon states it with the measurement attached: the best (and least expensive) solution for your feeder is a 1:4 solution of refined white sugar to tap water. That’s ¼ cup of sugar in 1 cup of water. Bring the solution to a boil, then let it cool before filling the feeder.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo gives it at a larger scale: Mix 1 part sugar with 4 parts water (for example, 1 cup of sugar with 4 cups of water) until the sugar is dissolved.

Penn State Extension words it as a formula: Hummingbird “nectar” is made by mixing one part sugar to four parts water.

Why the calculator will not let you change the ratio

Because deviating fails in two different directions, and Penn State names both: Weaker sugar solutions will be less attractive to hummingbirds, and stronger solutions may be harmful.

A diluted batch wastes your time. A concentrated one is the one to avoid, which is also why this tool works in cups rather than grams. Every source here states the ratio by volume, and the same numbers applied by weight produce a noticeably stronger solution than any of them describe.

The cleaning interval is the part that matters

Audubon’s schedule moves with the temperature: In hot weather, the feeder should be emptied and cleaned every day or every other day. In temperate weather, every three days. In cooler weather, twice per week is enough.

And whatever is left goes out rather than getting topped up: Always discard any unused nectar in the feeder when you take it down for cleaning. What happens when that schedule slips is visible before it is dangerous, and it is covered in why a hummingbird feeder goes cloudy.

Three things this tool deliberately does not do

It does not tell you to boil. The three sources split on that step, in three different directions, and the disagreement is set out in the full recipe article. Our reading is that a step the sources cannot agree on is not the step keeping birds safe.

It does not offer honey, raw sugar, or dye. Penn State is specific about the first: Never make the solution from honey, because fermented honey can cause a fatal fungal disease in hummingbirds. The Smithsonian widens it: Always use refined white sugar (regular table sugar). Never use honey, corn syrup or raw, unprocessed sugars.

It does not size your feeder. That is a separate decision and a smaller feeder is usually the right one, for reasons in why hummingbirds may not be using yours. Leftover batch keeps in the refrigerator, though not indefinitely: Extra sugar water for your hummingbird feeder can be stored in the fridge but should be stored for no more than one week.

This tool contains no affiliate links and recommends no product. Every figure it uses is quoted and linked above.