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Should You Boil Water When Making Hummingbird Nectar?
By LINDSAY DONALDSON
Hummingbird nectar is easy to make as all it consists of is water and sugar. While sometimes it’s good to boil the water, it’s not essential — hot tap water will do perfectly well.
You can save time by not boiling the water, especially if there’s a heatwave or the nectar is eaten quickly and needs replacing often. Use superfine sugar as it dissolves faster.
As sugar dissolves faster in boiled water, it’s better to boil it when using a higher ratio of sugar to water to help fortify your hummers during their spring and fall migration.
Using boiling water also slows nectar fermentation, which is harmful to hummingbirds. Cornell Lab recommends using boiling water when making large batches to store in the fridge.