How to build a DIY hummingbird feeder out of a plastic bottle:
Micah, I figured it would be easier to show you by posting a whole new submission, so that I could get a photo of every angle of the DIY feeder as I am terrible at explaining things without a demonstration or two.
Needed materials:
Hot glue sticks, hot glue gun, string or desired hanging/mounting substrate, knife or scissors, tooth pick or thin screwdriver, recycled “heavy duty” plastic bottle, (by heavy duty, I mean stronger than your usual plastic bottle, which crinkles and crumples very easily.)
Optional materials:
pony beads, foam, other red, orange, or pink decorations. (I recommend not using yellow, as it attracts bees.)
Step 1: clean out your plastic bottle, and plug your hot glue gun in.
Step 2: Poke holes in your bottle, (5 millimeters in diameter), with your scissors or knife. (Holes should be placed near the lid of the bottle so that when your pour sugar water into it, it won’t leak out from the holes. Make sure that the holes are smooth, and no ridges or bits of plastic stick out from them. You can do this by poking a screwdriver or the tip of your hot glue gun into the pre-made holes and wriggling it around until the sides are smooth no plastic pieces stick out.)
Step 3: poke holes in the top ends of the bottle, measured so that it hangs/mounts without the nectar solution leaking. Then push your desired hanging or mounting substrate into the holes, making sure it hangs correctly.
Step 4: if you want to, you can add pony beads around the feeding hole. (Make sure they aren’t covering the feeding hole!) If you decide to do this, glue a piece of foam over the holes first, then poke holes through the foam where your first feeding holes line up, then glue the beads on. (The reason I recommend using foam underneath the beads is because plastic plus plastic hot glued together doesn’t hold up to the weather very well.)
Step 5: Decorate the feeder however you like. Hummers prefer red for some reason, but they are also attracted to pink, orange and yellow. (I would not recommend using yellow though, because bees are also attracted to yellow, and bees and ants can prevent hummers.)
Thanks, and enjoy the hummers!!!