Hummingbird feeders
Saucer or bottle, glass or plastic, 8 or 32 ounces – which feeder keeps bees and ants off and is easy to clean.
How we compared: manufacturer specifications, maker prices (30 Sep 2026) and how each design deals with bees, ants and cleaning. We have not tested these feeders ourselves.
Quick picks
Start from your birds
Saucer feeders sit flat with the nectar below the ports – bees and wasps can hardly reach it, and they come apart for cleaning.
Inverted bottles hold more and look classic; without bee guards they can drip and attract insects in heat.
Window feeders stick to the glass with suction cups – the closest view from indoors, but small.
Size – choose a feeder you empty in two to five days. Too much nectar spoils before the birds finish it.
Not sure which birds you get? Enter your ZIP code and see the feeder birds within 30 km for every month.
Specs
| Model | Price | Type | Capacity | Ports | Material | Bee guards | Ant moat | Cleaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aspects HummZinger Ultra | see Amazon | saucer | 12 oz | 4 | plastic (polycarbonate) | built-in | built-in | wide mouth |
| Aspects HummZinger HighView 12 oz | see Amazon | saucer | 12 oz | 4 | plastic (UV-stabilized polycarbonate) | none | built-in | wide mouth |
| Aspects HummZinger Mini 8 oz | see Amazon | saucer | 8 oz | 3 | plastic (polycarbonate) | none | built-in | wide mouth |
| Aspects HummZinger Excel 16 oz | see Amazon | saucer | 16 oz | 6 | plastic (polycarbonate) | none | built-in | wide mouth |
| First Nature 32 oz Hummingbird Flower Feeder | see Amazon | inverted bottle | 32 oz | 10 | plastic | built-in | built-in | wide mouth |
| More Birds Bird Health+ Big Gulp 40 oz | – | inverted bottle | 40 oz | 5 | glass bottle | none | built-in | maker: hand wash with warm soapy water |
| More Birds Vintage Glass Hummingbird Feeder 20 oz | – | inverted bottle | 20 oz | 5 | glass bottle | none | none | wide mouth |
| Perky-Pet Pinch-Waist Glass Hummingbird Feeder 8 oz | – | inverted bottle | 8 oz | 4 | glass bottle | built-in | built-in | wide mouth |
| Perky-Pet Window Mount Hummingbird Feeder 8 oz | – | window | 8 oz | 3 | plastic | built-in | none | removable perches |
| Perky-Pet Antique Glass Bottle Hummingbird Feeder 10 oz | – | inverted bottle | 10 oz | 4 | glass bottle | none | none | removable bottle, pull-apart base |
| Feed Garden Glass Hummingbird Feeder 16 oz | – | inverted bottle | 16 oz | 4 | glass bottle | built-in | built-in | wide mouth |
| Kingsyard Glass Hummingbird Feeder 16 oz | – | inverted bottle | 16 oz | 6 | glass bottle | none | built-in | wide mouth |
| Bolite Hand Blown Glass Hummingbird Feeder 22 oz | – | inverted bottle | 22 oz | 5 | hand-blown glass | built-in | built-in | – |
Manufacturer data and maker prices (30 Sep 2026); Amazon prices are not shown and can differ. “–” = not stated.
Nectar
Mix one part white sugar with four parts water – for example 1/4 cup of sugar in 1 cup of boiling water – and let it cool. Do not add red dye; the red parts of the feeder are enough to attract the birds. Never use honey, which promotes dangerous fungal growth.
Sources: Audubon, Cornell FeederWatch, Smithsonian's National Zoo.
Cleaning
| Below 60 °F | weekly |
| 60–70 °F | every 5–6 days |
| 70–80 °F | every 3–5 days |
| 80–90 °F | every 2 days |
| Above 90 °F | daily |
Take the feeder apart and wash it with warm water and dish soap, or soak it for an hour in one part white vinegar to four parts water, then rinse well. Throw out cloudy nectar or any with black mould at once.
Sources: International Hummingbird Society, Cornell FeederWatch.
Timing
Put the feeder out when the first hummingbirds arrive in your area and keep it up about two weeks after the last one you see. In Ohio, ruby-throated hummingbird sightings start in April and fade out in October – see backyard birds of Ohio. For your own place, enter your ZIP code.
Questions
For most yards a glass or saucer feeder of 12–16 oz with bee guards and a built-in ant moat. Saucer feeders like the Aspects HummZinger keep bees off best; the Feed Garden 16 oz glass feeder is the best seller on Amazon.
One part white sugar to four parts water. No red dye and no honey.
Every time you change the nectar: weekly below 60 °F, every 2–3 days in warm weather and daily above 90 °F.
Glass lasts longer and does not cloud in the sun but can break; plastic saucers are lighter and usually easier to clean.