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From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of JANINE PERLMAN <jpandjf...>
Sent: Wednesday, February 11, 2026 10:00 AM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Hummingbird food debate
I'm a comparative nutritional biochemist specializing in native N. American birds, and a federally permitted wild bird rehabilitator. One of my specialties is hummingbirds. I co-created (what appear to be the only) reliable, complete, balanced diets for captive orphaned, sick and injured hummingbirds currently in use by rehabilitators.
Please do not ever put anything in your feeder other than a 1:4 solution of sugar (table sugar; sucrose):water. No commercial mixes, no dyes, no additives of any kind.
In nature, nectar supplies water, sugar and the calories that sugar supplies. As John says, hummingbirds require nectar in exactly that form. Hummers receive the other nutrients they need from insects, and from a- or post-biotic mineral sources (tiny calciferous grit, ash, etc.). These nutrients include protein, lipids, vitamins, and minerals in exceedingly exact amounts and proportions.
Hummingbirds have instinctual cravings to find and consume what they need, when they need it. Their needs are very dynamic, with dramatic changes over short periods, and they must choose what they consume, every day.
If we feed them anything other than sugar-water, they are forced to consume nutrients that will throw their diet off balance, resulting in toxicities and/or deficiencies, illness and death. Obviously, anything a breeding female consumes is reflected in the composition of her eggs, and is regurgitated to her very vulnerable nestlings. The outcome is certain to be negative and likely lethal.
Even overwintering outdoor hummingbirds should not be fed a mineral-added nectar, because it will unbalance the insects and other consumables they're finding in nature. If weather conditions are such that a bird will unequivocally be unable to forage insects for over a week -- and this means severe, prolonged winter weather -- a knowledgeable hummingbird rehabilitator (there are probably fewer than half a dozen in the U.S. and Canada) should be contacted for advice.
Best wishes,
Janine
Janine Perlman, Ph.D.
Alexander, AR
On Wednesday, February 11, 2026 at 09:43:02 AM CST, Wild Birds Unlimited <wbulittlerock...> wrote:
Honey is NOT a viable option for hummingbirds. I don't understand why it is so danged hard to get people to understand that the best, closest thing to natural flower nectar, is a water and table sugar mixture at a ratio of 4 parts water (1C) to 1 Part WHITE table sugar (1/4C). Do not use ANY other alternative. Demerara sugar and similar (any 'brown' or natural sugar) have too much iron which the hummers cannot process and will eventually be fatal. Sugar substitutes like stevia or monk fruit (Zero-Calorie Sweeteners) have no calories for the birds to utilize. Agave nectar is too high in fructose which the hummers cannot process. Table sugar is sucrose (whether beet sugar or cane sugar - yes, there are infinitesimal differences in the two as far as impurities, but they are so small as to be negligible), which is what flower nectar is primarily made up of. I shouldn't even need to mention this, but Splenda and other artificial sweeteners are also hard no's!
Natural flower nectars generally run on the range of 3:1 to 5 :1 which is why ornithologists have chosen the middle ground of 4:1. There are a couple hummingbird mixes on the market that have added mineral nutrients in them, but generally, these are unnecessary during months when flowers are in bloom since hummers get the required nutrients from flowers (they are never feeding only at your feeders if there are nectaring flowers around). This is a good point to add in that you should be planting true native flowers in your yards. Cultivars and hybrids often 'give-up' one thing to get another, such as giving up nectar production get a certain color, so they are never the best option. This trade-off is why flowers from florists often have no scent these day...it is lost in the hybridization process to attain bigger or more colorful blooms.
During winter months, if you have an over-wintering hummingbird, I WOULD highly recommend using nectar mixes that have minerals in them (please don't try to make your own...hummers are very small, and small errors in mixtures could prove fatal) to help get the hummers the nutrients they may not otherwise be getting during that time of year. I know people think they are 'doing what's best' by using natural sweeteners but they are literally killing hummingbirds by using them. Shame, shame, shame on this so-called "nature tour guide" for suggesting this. This particular issue is so simple and so basic that it would cause me to call into questions any other "facts" they told you on your hike.
What follows is the Google AI overview which is correct in general. 100+ websites will reiterate this information in part or in whole.
Honey should never be used to feed hummingbirds because it causes rapid, fatal fungal infections on their tongues and in their mouths. When diluted with water, honey fosters dangerous mold and bacteria growth. It also has a different sugar composition than natural nectar, which is hard for them to digest. Here is why honey is dangerous:
* Fatal Fungus: Honey, especially when diluted in a feeder, promotes the growth of fungi (like Aspergillus) that can cause severe, fatal infections in a hummingbird's tongue.
* Physical Harm: Because honey is sticky, it can clog feeding ports and coat the bird’s beak and feathers.
* Digestive Issues: The complex sugars in honey are difficult for hummingbirds to digest.
* Bacteria Growth: Honey can contain botulism spores, which can be dangerous or fatal to hummingbirds.
John Sommer
Wild Birds Unlimited - Little Rock
1818 N Taylor Street
Little Rock, AR 82207
501.666.4210
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From: The Birds of Arkansas Discussion List <ARBIRD-L...> on behalf of Karen Garrett <kjgarrett84...>
Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 8:50 PM
To: <ARBIRD-L...> <ARBIRD-L...>
Subject: Re: Hummingbird food debate
I feel sure that I've read warnings about some kind of fungus in honey.
Q: Should I use brown sugar, honey, or molasses instead of white sugar?
A: No, only use refined white sugar. Other sweetening agents have additional ingredients that can prove detrimental to the hummingbirds. Never use artificial sweeteners to make hummingbird nectar.
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.
