Absolutely not. The point of using nectar is to mimic what’s in nature. That means water and plain sugar and nothing else. The three points you made are all correct. The ratio can be changed to increase or decrease sugar; after all, many top hummer plants like Cuphea and others may have sugar percentages of 27 to 31% instead of 20% like a 4:1 recipe. But definitely no honey or anything other than plain sugar.
John Dillon
Athens, LA
> On Feb 10, 2026, at 8:13 PM, Alyson Hoge <000002096ce84bce-dmarc-request...> wrote:
>
> All —
>
> Has anyone ever heard of feeding hummingbirds honey mixed with water? Has there been any scientific research into it?
>
> This past week, a nature tour guide said that instead of feeding sugar mixed with water, we should use honey because it has nutrients lacking in sugar syrup.
>
> But do hummers access honey in the wild?
>
> What I’ve always heard is:
>
> — One part sugar to four parts water approximates the nectar that hummers drink.
>
> — This combo supplies energy while insects supply everything else.
>
> — Don’t make the solution with anything other than white granulated sugar or maybe fructose.
>
> I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts about this.
>
> The suggested ratio was 2 parts honey to 1 part water.
>
> Alyson Hoge
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