On the nectar you buy in the store, the package directions say 3 parts water to 1 part water. What are they meaning? 3 cups water to 1 cup of nectar? Please help me clarify this. I'm not sure what that means? Can anyone help asap?
By Christina
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They mean nectar, as in sugar (I've only used white). You can make a solution of sugar in warm water of 1:3 or 1:4. The 1 in the ratio stands for the sugar amount. You can also add a few drops of food color to attract the birds more.
I have always used 4 parts water to 1 part sugar (white only). Also it's not necessary to use any food coloring as the feeder will attract the hummers as well as any flowers nearby.
Whenever you see the words 'part to parts, it means measures, for example as you wrote, three cups to one cup (or 3 parts to 1 part). As another reply noted, it's often written as 1:1, 1:3, 3:1, etc.
Another way to think of it is that if you use 1 part and the measure you've chosen to use is a full cup, you need to follow the directions for your other parts as being cups also.
The measure can be anything, tea or tablespoons, litres, gallons, quarter cup, half cup, full cup, and so on.
For example, when I make up a vinegar and water solution to clean kitchen in bathroom I use a one to one parts ratio (1:1) and I decide the size or volume of my measure according to the amount of cleaning solution I want to make up.
If I'm filling a spray bottle, I use a half cup of vinegar to a half cup of water; if I'm mixing up a larger amount I adjust upwards in measurement-one full cup to one full cup for a small basin, pints and sometimes even gallons to fill a bucket.
The important thing to remember is that the word 'part' and 'parts' means nothing more than measures.
The typical recommendation for making hummingbird nectar, and one I use regularly is this.
For every quart of water (part,) you will need one cup (8 oz.) of water. The best way to make nectar is by boiling the water, turning the heat off and adding sugar. Stir the sugar so that it dissolves completely. If you want to make it up in bulk so that it will last longer, boil the mixture again after you add the sugar. Just heat it up again until it boils. Refrigerated nectar should be used in a week or less. Change feeders about every 3 to 4 days. if you have plastic feeders, don't use bleach to clean them. Don't put plastic feeders in the dishwasher. Vinegar and warm soapy (dish soap,) water will clean them adequately. A tiny brush will help you clean the feeder ports. Thoroughly clean the feeders before refilling them.
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