How To Stop Hummingbird Feeders From Dripping

introduction

Hummingbird feeders can bring a lot of joy and enthusiasm for backyard birders, especially if you know where to hang them. However, this excitement can easily turn into a mess if your feeder starts dripping or leaking for some reason. As this sticky residue spills onto the surface below, it causes great nuisance for you and your birds. Plus, in addition to causing rancid smell, this liquid spills may catch the attention of not-so-welcome visitors like bugs and crawling insects.

Problems with Hummingbird Feeder Leaks

01.

Wastage of Sweet Nectar

A leaky feeder means there will be a lot of waste of sweet nectar since hummingbirds may not lap it up off the ground. As a result, you’ll have to do frequent refills which is more of a hassle. If there is consistent leakage from the feeder, it is quite possible when visiting birds turn up, they will find the feeder empty of nectar. And this empty feeder may draw them off and they may never return because of an unreliable food source.

Learn More: Best Leak Proof Hummingbird Feeders

02.

Odors

Hummingbirds have a poor sense of smell. But this is not the case with other animals and arthropods. Animals like bears, squirrels, and raccoons have a very sharp sense of smell. These animals can easily smell the sweet odor of nectar spills from far away. Likewise, the sweet odor may also draw bugs, mice, crawling ants, and rats. When nectar attracts such surprise guests, the sweet liquid will drain much more rapidly. These animals may bother little feathered aviators and can also damage the hummingbird feeder.

03.

Stains

When the sweet nectar seeps through the feeder onto deck or patio, it can leave stubborn marks on them. If the feeder leaks heavily, these stains may turn out to be pretty hard to get away with. Likewise, the nectar ooze can also cause damage to flowering plants and grass if it drips onto them. Thanks to the ingredients inside, it can disturb the chemistry of your garden soil.

04.

Stickiness

If the nectar drips onto any surface, it leaves a thick, sticky mess on that. When hummingbirds zoom in, this sticky residue may get attached to their feathers. As a result, the birds may find it hard to fly away properly. Also, this sticky substance can block up the ports of the feeder.

Practical Steps For Minimizing Hummingbird Feeder Leaks

Once you turn the reservoir of the feeder upside down, it results in forming a vacuum inside the bottle. Thanks to this vacuum, the anti-leakage seal works properly. However, the seal works only when you refill the bottle to full. It means this vacuum cannot help keep the seal secure if there is a drop of liquid within the feeder.

If you hang the feeder under direct sunlight or position it at a place where it receives most sunlight, this sunshine may heat up the feeder. When the bottle heats up, the mounting pressure inside will push the liquid to move outside. Make sure to place your feeder in full shade so the liquid food stays fresh and healthy for the birds.

Be sure to place the feeder in a sheltered location especially where strong winds may not swing the feeder sideways or perhaps cause it to tip over. Plus, if you hang it right in the middle of walkways with a lot of movement, the feeder is more likely to drip by losing balance.

Examining your feeder on a daily basis can prevent nectar spills. It is important to keep an eye on the base of the feeder, which may contain small cracks or chips. If you find any bend or crack on the feeder, try to replace it with a new one or repair it if it is possible. But if the feeder is damaged too badly, you must replace it right away to avoid further leakage problems.

Most feeders have a seal that connects the base with the bottle of the feeder. If the quality of this seal is good and it is not weak, the feeder is less likely to drip. For that, be sure all the individual parts of the feeder are assembled properly. A poorly assembled feeder can fall apart any time.

Hummingbirds are tiny sprites and don’t have a lot of weight. However, some other well-known birds like woodpeckers, warblers, and house finches often visit hummingbird feeders for sipping nectar. As compared to hummers, they are bigger in size and carry quite a lot of weight too. If you have attached perches for hummingbirds to the feeder, these birds may use these perches instead. While sipping nectar, the weight of these birds on one side can easily tip over the feeder. As for hummingbirds, perches only provide them comfortable dining since they can lap up sweet liquid by hovering around.

You can wrap around the plumber’s tape on the joints or the areas where you screw the parts tightly. However, you should be careful that the sticky syrup of the nectar may not stick to the plumage of hummingbirds. Plus, make sure the tape doesn’t contaminate the sweet liquid inside. If it happens to come into contact with the nectar, this tape can make the liquid unhygienic and harmful for the birds.

Despite various techniques and proper adjustments, it is highly likely that most feeders will drip nectar. Actually, given the fact there are several kinds of feeders, most of them have an upside-down bottle. Such feeders tend to drip quite frequently than others which is why you must consider several options before buying feeders.

You can buy saucer-style feeders as a replacement instead of vacuum feeders. The nectar within these feeders stays at the bottom of the feeding stations. Thanks to their long needle-like bills, it’s pretty easy for these birds to retrieve sweet syrup out of them.

If you’re a backyard birder or a longtime hummingbird enthusiast, you can make a garden exclusively for these birds. With native flowering plants and little twigs and leaves, you can attract hummingbirds without having to worry about the feeder leakage anymore. The flowers will naturally produce their own nectar and there is no hassle of refilling or leakage.