In article >, gravesend10
@verizon.net says...
>
> On Fri, 09 Sep 2016 07:32:23 -0300, wrote:
>
> >On Thu, 08 Sep 2016 20:04:13 -0400, Brooklyn1
> > wrote:
> >
> >>They usually attack me when I refill their feeder, they're very
> >>territorial and posssive about their feeder. Today I bought new
> >>feeder food, a syrup concentrate instead of the sugar, 1 part syrup to
> >>3 parts water. I bought it at Lowe's:
> >>http://www.birdfeeders.com/perky-pet...oncentrate-238
> >
> >Ornithologists always advocate making your own syrup, one part sugar
> >to four of water. The red dye in the boughten syrup is unnecessary
> >and bad for them.
>
> The red is a natural plant dye same as in tons of human foods. Those
> who say to mix your own it's strictly for political reasons, they are
> against businesses making a buck, in fact the pet product companies
> who sell hummer syrup charge less than the price of plain white sugar,
> and their product is cleaner, it's sterile. Mixing ones own is not
> always recommended, many people's tap water contains added chemicals
> (chlorine, flouride)

Fluoride is good for hummingbirds' teeth. They don't get it from water
they drink in the wild.