Customer Reviews

Perky-Pet 234 Original Instant 2-Pound Hummingbird Nectar

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Why is this stuff "junk food"? Not because it's 99% sugar - that's what hummingbirds drink real flower nectar for. It's because this product, like so much human junk food, is laced with unnatural, unnecessary, and potentially hazardous chemicals. The description brags that it doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners (duh!), but if this really is the original Perky Pet formula it does contain the food coloring Red #40. This synthetic coal-tar dye is the single most popular food coloring in the world, but it's actually banned in some countries over concerns about its safety. From a health standpoint it's important to remember that a hummingbird may drink more than *three times its weight* in nectar or feeder solutions each day. Even a relatively harmless chemical can have damaging effects at such high consumption rates.

Unnecessary additives such as dyes, preservatives, and flavorings are just one reason that hummingbird experts discourage the use of products such as this one. Another is cost. Even the dye-free "instant nectars" contain absolutely nothing to justify a price that's 5 to 8 times higher than that of ordinary white sugar (which is actually sucrose, the natural sugar hummingbirds prefer above all others). A simple solution of 3 to 5 parts water to 1 part white table sugar is convenient, inexpensive, and much more natural for the birds. Remember to clean the feeder and change the solution every 2 to 5 days. For even happier, healthier hummingbirds, plant hummingbird-friendly flowers such as red salvias and columbines and keep your yard pesticide free to provide the tiny insects and spiders that they need for a well-rounded diet.

There is no reason for the manufacturer to put red food coloring into this mix. There are numerous concerns about the effect on hummingbirds. This is reason enough to not buy this product. Buy a product without the dye.

Better yet, just buy sugar. Use 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. Boil the water first and then add the sugar until dissolved. You will save money and perhaps a hummingbird's life doing this versus buying dye tainted food. Hummingbird food is only sugar with coloring.

CAUTION. DO NOT use artificial sweeteners or honey, use only sugar. Honey and sugar substitutes will malnourish and quickly kill hummingbirds. Sugar Only!

The only thing in this that should be there is sugar. The rest is stuff you shouldn't be adding to your feathered friends diet. This stuff is also three times the price of baker's sugar from any old grocery store, four times the price of regular granulated sugar that takes a little longer to dissolve. This is a bad buy, bad for the birds and bad for your pocket.

Humming birds had been feeding throughout the day at my feeders. For convenience, I bought some of this mix. The birds stopped feeding as soon as I used this product. I mixed another batch, thinking that I had made a mistake somehow. They still won't feed. I have gone back to making my own, much cheaper and no additives. In addition, the bags had leaked inside the package, making a mess.

Please avoid red dye and chemicals for the sake of the hummers. Use 1 part pure cane sugar to 4 parts water. Boil and mix, cool and feed those hummers the best and most economical. The red on the feeders is all you need to attract the birds. Red dye in their food.........yuck. Poison!

Quick and easy, eliminates waste and most importantly the birds gave many opportunities for us to observe their many visits!

Errr...can I say "hmmmm"...hmmmmmmm....and more hmmmm....This stuff will do the job for the little hummingbirds, but if you are thinking as I was, "Hey, pretty red, pretty hummingbirds, and beautiful Orioles can all continue to share same feeder...."

NADA! This stuff ran my Orioles off. I have no clue why, unless the red color scares the Orioles. In fact, I really hate to say this since all these "Natural Type" hummingbird mixtures rant and rave about the "extra benefits" the hummers receive from their solutions...I mean give me the sugar mixture. You know the 3 cups water with 1 cup sugar, give or take some...

But for me...I think I will stay away from "red" from now on. It really did not attract the hummers anymore than clear liquid, nor did it do a thing for all my Orioles except run them off...

But if you are looking for color...sigh...give it a go, but don't be disappointed if you are an Oriole fan and off they go!

Give me the suga'!

I got this as a gift and tried it because I didn't have to boil water and the package said the dye was safe for hummingbirds. Unfortunately the hummers didn't care for this stuff at all! I left it out for 2 weeks and the birds disappeared! Once I went back to making my own sugar water, the hummers were back to their daily multiple visits. Spending 5 minutes to make your own sugar water is well worth it!

This stuff is extremely easy to use. 1/2 a packet is enough for most medium-sized feeders, and it does not require hot water to blend the mix! The hummingbirds here love it! I have never even seen hummingbirds in my city until I put up a feeder in the back! Now we have some daily visitors in our yard, and they seem to love the stuff. It has a pretty red color too, which attracts more birds!

Yes, it's probably more expensive than buying the same quantity of sugar, but for those of us who are too lazy (like me), or too busy to look up and make bird food recipes, this is a great product! Quick, easy, and my birds love it!

Others have written here, and experts tend to agree, that red coloring is totally unnecessary in hummingbird feeders. After using this junk without many of the delightful little critters drinking from it, I switched to one cup of sugar in 2 cups of boiling water, then letting it cool (of course). I'm having to refill it every day now, with such a variety arriving to sip the nectar.