[obol] worrisome Hummingbird behavoir

[Bev]

Hummingbird Facts Flowers and Feeders by Abby Crouch states that "Absolutely never use honey, brown sugar, saccharine or sugar substitutes. They spoil quickly and host a fungus that fatally infects Hummingbird's tongues and causes death by starvation."
I attended an evening at Audubon house, where she spoke and we viewed a slide show.This was a few years ago. When the Hummingbirds are affected by the fungus, their tongues swell, and they can no longer drink. Over the last 6 years, there have been 3 different Hummers that visited my feeders that were not able to retract their tongues. They eventually died, not able to feed themselves.
It is very important to be sure your feeders are clean, especially free of mold, that the sugar water is mixed 1 to 4, that it is changed at least twice a week, it begins to ferment and mold at 56-57 degrees. There are feeders available that are small and easy to clean and you can also purchase little brushes to clean the ports available at the Audubon store. 
Bev LaBelle bevbird at hevanet.com 
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