Help!  My Hummingbird Feeder is Frozen! on Sunday, December 06, 2009

Read on for information and ideas that might help:

Customer Don Bratsch’s Hummingbird Feeder Heater

by Steve Jaggers

Nectar will not freeze until about 28 or 29 degrees. Many people take the feeders in at dark and return them outside by first light. Often the birds will be waiting for the food to reappear.

If you are home during the day it may possible to bring in, thaw, and return the feeder in a brief amount of time.  Nectar can be defrosted in a hot pan of water or sometimes in a microwave.  It can be useful to have an extra feeder (or feeders) to switch out, leaving an unfrozen one available while you defrost the frozen one.

Try placing a light beneath or next to your feeder if there is handy outside electrical outlet.   Any type can work – two good possibilities:  a clamp on light ($10 or less at hardware type stores) or a “trouble light” with shield and hook, on its own cord.  Or try any heat-producing light – a 60 watt light was fine at my house during last winter’s deep freeze.

Heat tape, designed for wrapping around water pipes, can be wrapped around some feeders. Some folks have used hand warmers for day at a time to keep nectar thawed.

Older style Christmas lights, those that get hot, can also be wrapped around a feeder.

Bubble wrap or other non toxic insulation can help slow down the freezing process.

As always, be sure to take appropriate cautions when using outside electricity!