How to keep Hummingbird feeders cool in summer
Do find a way to keep hummingbird feeders at a minimum of room temperature if you can, though failing this rest assured feeders or nectar is unlikely to get too hot.
How to keep Hummingbird feeders cool in summer time would rely on a shaded location, as the shade can at least can give you more time before the nectar rapidly heats up when suspended in direct sun. Alternatively, you can run water via a water hose pipe over the feeder, or why not add nectar ice cubes.
What you must do first thing is to position the hummingbird feeders out of direct sun, as its the biggest cause of overheated, nectar-filled hummingbird or oriole feeders.
Direct sun will quickly heat up the feeder and then quickly follow up by warming up the nectar. Situating hummingbird feeders in the shade can at least give you a few more hours at least until you have to intervene - if that is what you don't mind doing to keep feeders cool.
Darken corner or indeed the shade isn't going to give you much time in the dead of summer, yet it can help to keep the feeder cool for a little longer.
How to keep hummingbird feeders cool in summer months may also rely on cooling up the interior; to keep the nectar at room temperature at least then your hummingbirds will be happy with still a cool nectar solution.
Freeze a huge amount homemade nectar ice cubes specially to continue to add to the hummingbird feeder all day long, up until sunset.
Don't use water ice cubes only because as ice cubes melt it will continue to weaken the sugar/water ratio until the ratio favors mostly water - and while this diluted water nectar won't be obvious to you - it will provide no health benefits to hummingbirds.
Let me just say though to keep hummingbird feeders cool in summer isn't really necessary, nor will it deter hummingbirds - and other birds from using it - when the feeder or nectar feels a little warmer than it should.
To keep the hummingbird feeder exterior cool you can again slow down the warming up process internally; thus you can think about gently running cold water over the top of the hummingbird feeder via a garden hose pipe.
If nectar feels too warm birds will simply ignore it, yet its unlikely to reach that stage.
With that, you can always continue to change the hummingbird nectar on a regular basis to pour out the heated up nectar, for a fresh batch of cool homemade nectar.
Avoid direct sunshine
It may seem obvious but its worth being reminded, an hummingbird feeder would probably be best served out of direct sunshine over the warmer summer months.
Certainly the strength of the sun will quickly heat up the hummingbird feeder exterior before rising the temperature of the nectar stored within the plastic or glass reservoir.
How you avoid direct sun can depend on your backyard layout, yet I would push my hummingbird feeder in the the shade permanently - or at least where shade can be assured for most of the day.
Direct sun does risk heating up a metal body hummingbird feeder which in turn can make it hard for hummers to perch on .
In which case I believe a durable plastic hummingbird feeder would be a better option over its glass/metal hummingbird feeder counterpart.
Either way, both types of hummingbird feeder materials will still slowly or rapidly heat up in the summer sun.
Situate in shade or dark area
How you'd keep an hummingbird feeder cool during the summer months then is to prioritize a location in the shade.
Darken corner is different mind because this kind of location will be out of sight of visiting hummers, thus the hummingbird feeder isn't likely to be used. Favor the shade in a well lit up area, yet it must avoid the sun at the same time.
You can hang hummingbird feeders in direct sun at cooler times in the summer, although I would stick to an out of sun position for the whole summer.
When positioning the hummingbird feeder in the shade pick a spot that is still visibly open to the bright blue sky above.
If the bright sky is accessible and therefore open to the feeders above, then its likely to be a lit up area. Remember, hummingbirds prefer to feed in a lit up area in the yard, thus a dark area is likely to be ignored because it isn't ever visited.
Limited options may be available to you when picking out an area to suspend an hummingbird feeder safely out of the sun, yet the feeder will somehow appear to always be under the full strength of the sun.
What you can do then is not hang an hummingbird feeder at all, when it can be placed on a table, wall or outdoor furniture if you can guarantee it will be visited in the shade.
Run water over Hummingbird feeder
Admittedly this can lead to a lot of wasted water with the likelihood of your water bill skyrocketing.
With that in mind, I would remind you to run the water through a hose at the lowest pressure, as there's little benefits to going full pressure when the results are going to be practical the same.
What this technique involves to keep hummingbird feeders cool throughout the day, will require you to position the garden hose over any suspended hummingbird feeder - to run cool water continuously over the top of the feeder.
Cool water poured over the hummingbird feeder during the hottest days could possible keep the exterior cool, which will in turn keep the nectar cool.
You won't be able to use this method to keep other types of bird feeders that are used in summertime - like a suet, seed or peanut feeder - yet the hummingbird feeder will protect the nectar in such a way, it can be considered with some practice.
In the meantime, you'd have to set up the water hose pipe while its in a suspended position without the hose falling. With that, you only have to avoid the plain tap water going into the accessible nectar port wells featured on the feeder body.
Summary
First of all when late spring to summer arrives you must think about the change of the sun orbiting the earth, and the timing of it; as the sun it will begin hitting directly on your hummingbird feeder when you least expect it.You really do need to avoid direct sun beaming down on what can be a cooler plastic hummingbird feeder, or indeed a metal/glass combination hummingbird feeder that is prone to heating up a little more in the sun.
Avoid the sun for the most part of the day with early morning or evening sun being at its coolest, although it doesn't matter as much if the sun is shining on the feeder all day.
Never suspend or position hummingbird feeders in a darken corner, with a shaded spot must still provide plenty of light.
Shade in your yard can be near any yard structure or trees yet you must be sure the bright blue sky is openly visible above the hummingbird feeder location. If the feeders are situated in such a place, then you can be sure they remain accessible.
In the meantime you can think seriously about running a constant supply of fresh tap water over the hummingbird feeder, via a garden hose.
Gently does it has too much pressure will lead to waste of water when a high or low pressure will render the same results of keep the hummingbird feeder body exterior nice and cool in running water out of a hose pipe.