After decades of watching these fascinating aerial acrobats, I’ve learned that sometimes we’re our own worst enemies when it comes to attracting hummingbirds. What you think is helping might actually be sending these tiny visitors packing.

Here are 12 common mistakes that could be keeping hummingbirds from making your yard their favorite stop.

1. Using Red Dye in Your Nectar

At Wild Bird Scoop, we recommend against using red sugar water, as there have been some concerning reports about the safety of red dye. It has not been proven safe for hummingbirds, and any of the benefits associated with red dye can be achieved simply by using a red feeder.

Nectar Recipe: Make your own nectar using 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar. Avoid sugar substitutes, brown sugar, honey, and red dyes as they can be harmful to the birds.

2. Letting Feeders Go Stale

To prevent spoilage, change the nectar every 2-3 days, or even more frequently in hot weather. Rinse feeders thoroughly before refilling.

When it’s time to clean the feeder, use a water and vinegar solution periodically to fully disinfect the feeders. Dirty feeders are a deterrent to hummingbirds.

Mold and mildew can make them sick, and nectar that is spoiled or ant-filled is going to make hummingbirds avoid your feeders.

3. Improper Feeder Placement

If you have more than one hummingbird feeder, you should position them at least 15 feet apart, and ensure that they are not visible to one another. Hummingbirds are highly territorial.

One male hummingbird will keep all other males away from “his” feeder! It is important not to place feeders where the birds may be at risk of predation.

Also, consider how the correct placement can minimize pest problems around hummingbird feeders. Careful bird feeder placement can help you avoid many of the most common pitfalls and problems.

4. Using Pesticides in Your Garden

Pesticides may reduce the number of bugs and insects that annoy you, but pesticides can make hummingbirds sick, and these little birds actually need to consume insects to survive! We recommend skipping the pesticides in your hummingbird-friendly garden.

This is also why you don’t want to use pesticides if you are trying to attract hummingbirds to your garden. They need to consume the bugs you are trying to kill!

5. Not Providing Moving Water

First, provide a source of fresh water. Hummingbirds are attracted to moving water, so consider installing a small fountain or waterfall.

You can also simply hang a birdbath in your yard and change the water regularly. Some birds don’t have time in their day to take a luxurious bath (hummingbirds!) so they prefer to fly through mists and sprays of water instead.

Point the mister at some of your foliage to get them glistening. Birds will come down and rub on the wet leaves for a quick rinse.

6. Removing Spider Webs

Flowers also provide an ideal location for spiders to spin their webs. This is a double bonus for attracting Hummingbirds.

They will eat the spiders and then use the spider’s web to build their nests. Like all hummingbirds, they have a darting flying style with great maneuverability.

They hunt insects stuck on spider webs and others that they catch in flight. They also use their slender beaks to suck on nectar.

7. Planting the Wrong Flowers

Choose flowers that have bright colors like orange or red, and offer plenty of nectar in tubular or trumpet-shaped flowers. Hummingbirds need bugs, so plant native species that attract plenty of insect life too.

Hibiscus is far from the only plant that hummingbirds like. Trumpet vine, cardinal flower, columbine, honeysuckle, and other tubular-shaped flowers all provide nectar for hummingbirds across North America.

8. Forgetting Winter Residents

Nevada is lucky enough to have two year-round hummingbird residents: Anna’s hummingbird and Costa’s hummingbird. You might want to consider leaving your feeders up through the winter to help feed these full-time hummingbird neighbors!

Since some hummingbirds are year-round residents in Tennessee, you could keep your feeders out year-round. However, if this is not possible, you should at least consider placing feeders out in spring and fall during the main migration periods and ideally leaving them in place through summer for those birds that do stay.

9. Missing the Early Arrivals

It is best to put out your hummingbird feeders a week or two before you expect the first hummingbirds to arrive to provide sustenance for any early arrivals. Some hummingbirds may be early arrivals, and migration patterns can vary year to year, so you can always put your feeders out a few weeks early to ensure that you don’t miss the beginning of the season.

10. Ignoring Feeder Maintenance

It is not advisable to refill your feeder when it is empty without cleaning it first. A small amount left in a feeder for only a couple of hours will ferment much quicker.Cleaning hummingbird feeders may not be a fun job but it is necessary for keeping our little “jewels” healthy!

11. Creating a Hostile Environment

Just remember that it is more important to provide plants and a healthy environment for the hummingbirds who share your space. Feeders alone are not enough to create a hummingbird-friendly garden.

Creating a hummingbird-friendly West Virginia garden is, first and foremost, about creating a safe environment for summer staying and migrating birds. This means, among other things, always gardening organically.

12. Being Impatient

Because of this, a good general rule is to hang your feeders about a month before the birds are expected to arrive. If you wait too long, you’ll likely miss the chance to attract new hummingbirds–and last year’s hummers might get impatient while they are waiting!

Hummingbird mistakes and fixes

What you see	Likely cause	What to do
Red nectar in the feeder	Dye sold as a lure	Use a red feeder and 4 parts water to 1 part white sugar
Birds skip a dirty feeder	Spoiled nectar, mold, or ants	Change nectar every 2-3 days; more often in heat
One male owns every port	Feeders in sight of each other	Place extra feeders at least 15 feet apart
Few insects in the garden	Pesticides	Skip pesticides; hummingbirds need the bugs
No bathing visits	Still water only	Add a fountain, waterfall, or a mister on the foliage
No nests nearby	Spider webs cleared away	Leave webs; they eat the spiders and use the silk
Feeders full, flowers ignored	Wrong bloom shape or color	Plant native tubular red, orange, or bright flowers
Empty yard in winter	Feeders taken down	Year-round residents still need nectar
You miss the first birds	Feeders went up late	Put them out a week or two before expected arrival

Keep reading

• 8 Critical Mistakes That Make Hummingbirds Avoid Your Yard
• 15 Mistakes Even Experienced Hummingbird Watchers Make
• 15 Mistakes That Are Wasting Your Hummingbird Feed Money