I prefer to boil the sugar water to eliminate chlorine by: Elayne May
I have not studied the actual effects of using chlorinated water for hummers but, it is important for other tiny creatures such as fish so until I know more I prefer the following addition to the 1/4 cup granulated sugar to 1 cup water ratio.
I would modify this recipe with the following instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil then remove from the heat. Add sugar & stir until all of the sugar is dissolved. Don't boil it for long (2 minutes max.) because that will change the ratio as water is boiled off. The reason for boiling is not to make syrup, but to drive out the chlorine in the water and to kill mold and yeast spores that might be in the sugar. This will help make the nectar last longer both in the feeder and in your refrigerator.
2. Cover and allow to cool before using or pouring into the storage bottle. We recommend making a large batch of nectar and storing it in the refrigerator in a 2 liter soda bottle (washed thoroughly first.) This makes refilling the feeder so easy that you won't mind doing it every few days.
Cleaning the feeders: An excellent website for this instuction is http://www.wildbirdshop.com/Birding/humfeed.html
