By If you love the sight of a hummingbird at your feeder, a small investment in a basic feeder is a small price to pay for the company of these living jewels. The high end feeders made by skilled artists such as glass blowers and metalworkers can set you back a few hundred dollars and are often works of art in their own right, but you can find inexpensive hummingbird feeders at flea markets, and yard sales or even buy some for less than $10 online. When you intend to buy the top hummingbird feeder, consider the following points.
Capacity
Hummingbird feeders can be as simple as a tube though a cork or a complex multi-flock feeding system, what you get depends upon what you want and what you are willing to maintain.
Cleanup
Once you are successful at drawing hummingbirds you will begin work to keep them there with those same feeders. This means to have the patience to make the effort at least twice a week to take down, clean, and refill each of them. Many of the glass feeders are safe for use in the dishwasher, and probably some of the plastic ones too. Cleaning brushes are available too, and are sometimes included with the feeder… and be aware that the tubes and attachments are often too narrow to allow the use of a toothbrush to be of any practical use.
Maintenance
If you have never had a hummingbird feeder, you might be surprised to find what else will be drawn to the sweet liquid. Squirrels are amazing gymnasts and acrobats, and can often leap to the feeder from a nearby tree or even from the ground. Once they grab hold, they are set for a long, refreshing sweet drink! Some bees will also come to the feeders, especially paper wasps. Generally these are not a problem as the one-at-a-time design of the feeders keeps away multiple insects. But the worst offenders are ants. They will climb down whatever it is hanging from and they will find a way into the liquid, where they fall in, die and decay, fouling the liquid and ending the hummingbird visits. A simple ant moat along the hanging wire does the trick, it is a small cup filled with water, so that the ants cannot go further down the line. Ant moats are inexpensive and a good investment at only a couple of dollars.
