Community Forums

ronjhall · 02-11-2018, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwk

Packaging idea:???

"Safe for ALL Hummingbirds. Non-Alcoholic Recipe Included."

Maybe the recipe could be part of the decal (applied on the back of the bottle)?

Folks wouldn't lose the recipe that way.

When we stayed in the RGV we did a tour of a sugar cane processing plant. One of the stories told to us was taking the droppings from the plant home. Putting it in hummingbird feeders. First day no birds. Second day all gone. The heat and sun from first day had started the juice to ferment. Bunch of drunken birds.

cwk · 02-11-2018, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronjhall

When we stayed in the RGV we did a tour of a sugar cane processing plant. One of the stories told to us was taking the droppings from the plant home. Putting it in hummingbird feeders. First day no birds. Second day all gone. The heat and sun from first day had started the juice to ferment. Bunch of drunken birds.

Wow! I was referring to the use of the beer bottles as feeders. I never thought of fermented feed. I wonder if the same thing happened when we made sugar water for our hummingbirds years ago. However, the feeders were on the north side of the house, so no direct sun.

okmunky · 02-11-2018, 07:17 PM

Hmm, my feeder is in full sun and the liquid has been disappearing FAST lately. I better go check to see if the sugar and water I mixed up has fermented.

ronjhall · 02-12-2018, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by okmunky

Hmm, my feeder is in full sun and the liquid has been disappearing FAST lately. I better go check to see if the sugar and water I mixed up has fermented.

Not sure about regular sugar Hummingbird feed. But when I did wine and beer. They both needed some yeast to make it ferment.

olcarguy · 02-12-2018, 06:33 AM

There are lots of wild yeast spores floating around naturally to cause fermentation to occur.
Nice job on the bottles, Harv

Hit_the_Rhod · 02-12-2018, 06:53 AM

If there is any air in the bottle when the sun shines on it, the air (and to a small extent, the water) will expand, pushing the liquid past the nipple, dripping out on the ground. Bet to not put them in direct sunlight if at all possible.

Gordon Dewald · 02-12-2018, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hit_the_Rhod

If there is any air in the bottle when the sun shines on it, the air (and to a small extent, the water) will expand, pushing the liquid past the nipple, dripping out on the ground. Bet to not put them in direct sunlight if at all possible.

And then the bees will find the feeder, chase the hummingbirds away and drain the feeder in hours.

Could spray the bees but with the critical state of their being we leave them enjoy the food.

okmunky · 02-12-2018, 01:13 PM

I had the feeder out on the hook but hadn’t put anything in it until the day that bees kept trying to get into our rig. There were about 20 bees hanging around the doors and windows. I put red sugar water in the feeder hoping the bees would go to it and leave us alone. It worked! And I’ve seen some hummingbirds use it also. I was surprised to see bees this far out in the desert, especially in January.

Wroughtnharv · 02-16-2018, 08:16 PM

Two weeks from today we should be half way back home to Dallas. If everything goes right, including the weather, we'll leave Yuma the 28th.

There's a Vectra just like Jane for sale here in Yuma. I contacted the owner to see if he could let me look at the arm orientation on the wiper motor. I don't have a clue on location in the repair of Jane's wipers. He was more than happy to accommodate me. Hopefully in the next day or two we will fix the wipers and that will be behind us.

He's had his Vectra almost twenty years. The only repairs he's had to do was an alternator and replacement of the tv and microwave. The tv and microwave was because the electrician wired up his RV plug 220 instead of 2 115 circuits.

Needless to say it was a real eery kind of experience touring his Vectra because it is all original. We have done a ton to Jane. I think that was the first time the enormity of what we have done hit me.

One of the things I've had driving me crazy was making a hummingbird feeder. There are two complications I've been fighting. One is thermal shock, that's when glass breaks after being heated and then not properly cooled down very slowly, usually in a kiln, ain't got no kiln. The other difficulty is keeping the bottle balanced as the contents change.

Thermal shock I've found a work around that works part of the time, bottles are free so some success is success. The balance I'm still working on but I believe it's coming together.

I tried yellow flower petals yesterday and could only attract bees. I'm now trying red petals and can't wait to get that photo of a hummingbird sipping a Corona, no photoshop.

olcarguy · 02-16-2018, 08:36 PM

Maybe try some beer colouring, would make the photo look interesting.

Wroughtnharv · 02-16-2018, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by olcarguy

Maybe try some beer colouring, would make the photo look interesting.

I suggested that to my wife but she let me know that wan't going to happen, something about food coloring harming the birds.....

olcarguy · 02-16-2018, 09:08 PM

Hmmm the red stuff doesn't seem to hurt them don't know why the orange/yellowish stuff would? Just a thought what di I know, never claimed to be as smart as a wife......

olcarguy · 02-16-2018, 09:08 PM

Live longer and happier that way

cwk · 02-16-2018, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wroughtnharv

I tried yellow flower petals yesterday and could only attract bees. I'm now trying red petals and can't wait to get that photo of a hummingbird sipping a Corona, no photoshop.

Just for fun, while sortof watching the Olympics on tv, I did a search for color info and hummingbirds. What I found says that yellow is the correct color to attract bees (and wasps?). Red is the correct color to attract hummingbirds.

My prediction is that you will have that photo soon.