Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!think!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!BOSCO.BERKELEY.EDU!rusty
From: rusty@BOSCO.BERKELEY.EDU
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: hummingbird food
Message-ID: <8806172126.AA22661@velveeta>
Date: 17 Jun 88 21:26:02 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: rusty@cartan.berkeley.edu
Lines: 25

(Hope this hasn't been hashed out already; I don't read this list.)

A few weeks ago I bought a hummingbird feeder and it came with some
red-dyed white sugar, aka hummingbird food (``Perky-Pet Instant
Nectar'') which they say that I should use for ``best results''.  They
say that you can substitute a solution of 1 part sugar and 4 parts
water.  There's also a warning about not using artificial sweetners
which also says ``sustained use of honey can also be fatal to
hummingbirds''.

Taking into consideration the health of the hummingbirds:

(1) Is a white sugar solution really the best?

(2) If sugar isn't the best, then what is?

(3) Why is the sustained use of honey fatal?

Please respond with email; I don't subscribe to this newsgroup.
Thanks.

--------------------------------------
	rusty c. wright
	rusty@cartan.berkeley.edu
	ucbvax!cartan!rusty