Personally, I love the feeders with the stoppers and so do my hummingbirds. Unfortunately, these type of feeders have earned a reputation for dripping. You don't have to live with the sticky mess that these feeders seem to cause. According to Parasol’s (a leading manufacturer in the hummingbird feeder industry) website, here are some tips that will make using your tube-type feeder less messy and more enjoyable:
“Tips for Using Tube-Type Feeders
Tube-type hummingbird feeders have been around for a long time and are very popular with hummingbirds because they simulate the tube shape of many nectar-bearing flowers. However, because these feeders utilize a vessel filled with water resting on top of a small column of air, they may occasionally drip.
How to stop the dripping? There is no perfect answer - feeders will drip occasionally. However, we do have several recommendations to minimize dripping, so that you can truly enjoy your feeder.
1. Most importantly: always fill the feeder completely full with cool nectar. Insert the stopper and invert quickly to avoid any air entering the feeder. Tube feeders operate on a vacuum principle. Only if the feeder is initially filled completely full will the vacuum form!
2. Only hang your feeder in shade or partial shade. The cooler the feeder, the less likely it is to drip. Try a PAR·A·SOL ® Shade.
3. Make sure to keep the feeder very clean by regularly cleaning the vessel with hot water and a bottle brush. Do not use soap as its residue may cause your feeder to drip. Try periodically using a vinegar rinse to thoroughly clean your feeder and then rinse well with hot water.
4. Last resort: place stopper assembly in very hot water to soften the tube. You can bend it slightly to increase the angle. This will stop dripping, but might make it more difficult for nectar to come down the tube.
5. Dripping too much for you? Try one of our top-feeding hummingbird feeders.”
Before giving up on your vacuum style feeder, try these simple tricks. I have found them to substantially reduce the amount of nectar dripping out of my feeders, reducing the sticky mess and the amount of wasted nectar.
