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How to Make a Hummingbird Feeder From Reused Bottles
How to Make a Hummingbird Feeder From Reused Bottles. Hummingbirds are a pleasure to watch. While any cheap plastic feeder may attract hummingbirds, a specialized, handmade hummingbird feeder adds more visual interest and personality to your outside decor. Plus, a handmade hummingbird feeder is inexpensive to make than to buy and gives old bottles...
Hummingbirds are a pleasure to watch. While any cheap plastic feeder may attract hummingbirds, a specialized, handmade hummingbird feeder adds more visual interest and personality to your outside decor. Plus, a handmade hummingbird feeder is inexpensive to make than to buy and gives old bottles a new use.
Things You'll Need
Hummingbird feeder tube
Clear glass bottle
Copper wire
Wire cutters
Craft knife
Pliers
Red craft foam or non-toxic red paint
Clean out a 16- to 20-ounce soda or water bottles. Ensure that the stopper for your feeding tube fits securely in the neck of the bottle. You do not want there to be any leaks.
Cut a 24-inch length of 6- to 8-gauge copper wire with wire cutters.
Wrap the wire around the neck of the bottle so that it is loose enough to remove the bottle later for refilling, but tight enough so that the bottle is secure and won't fall. Use a pair of pliers to bend the wire if necessary.
Turn the bottle upside down and wrap the wire up from the loop around the neck into a loose spiral going around the bottle to its top. Form the remaining wire into a hook that bends into and "S" shape to allow you to hang the feeder.
Decorate the feeder as you wish. Hummingbirds are attracted to red. The bottle could be painted with red nontoxic paint, and/or cut out a daisy shape from red craft foam. Cut a small "X" into the center of the flower with a craft knife and push the neck of the bottle through. The triangles of the "X" hold the foam onto the bottle.
Fill the bottle with hummingbird food, secure the stopper, turn it upside down and hang in a location near your flower garden.
Tips & Warnings
To make a hummingbird food solution, combine 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boil until the sugar is completely dissolved and allow to cool.
It is best to not use food coloring in the hummingbird food as it is bad for the birds' beaks.
Clean the feeder every few days.
