How to Convert a Bottle to a Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbirds are tiny creatures that can consume twice their weight in food every day, according to the Wild Birds Unlimited website. Much of this daily food intake comes from flower nectar, although the birds also eat small insects. Hummingbird feeders filed with sugar water are a good substitute for flower nectar. Although hummingbird feeders can be purchased almost anywhere, you can just as easily make a feeder out of items you already have around the home.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic drink bottle with plastic cap
  • Large plastic bottle cap
  • Drill
  • Hole saw drill bit
  • Paper towel
  • Hot-glue gun and glue sticks
  • Red artificial flowers
  • Scissors
  • String
  • Water
  • Sugar
  • Paint (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Locate a plastic water bottle or juice bottle that has a wide opening and plastic cap to use as the feeder. Rinse the inside of the bottle out thoroughly with water to remove all residue.

    • 2

      Lay the plastic bottle cap on a flat work surface facing downward. Drill a 1/2-inch-diameter hole in the center of the cap, using a drill with a hole saw drill bit.

    • 3

      Roll up a paper towel and stick it through the hole inside the cap until it protrudes through the top by 1/2 inch.

    • 4

      Locate another plastic cap that is slightly larger and deeper than the first cap. Place the larger cap on the work surface with the concave side facing upward. Insert the small cap into the center of the larger cap also with the concave side facing upward.

    • 5

      Plug in a hot-glue gun and insert a glue stick into the hole in the back of it. Allow the gun to heat up for one to two minutes. Insert 1 tsp. of glue at equal distances inside the space between the two caps. You only need four spots of glue, one on each side.

    • 6

      Allow the caps to sit for five to 10 minutes to allow the glue to cool and cure completely. When the glue is dry, pull the paper towel out of the top of the cap and throw it away.

    • 7

      Screw the cap onto the plastic bottle and stand the feeder up so that it stands on the bottom cap.

    • 8

      Cut off small, red, artificial flowers from their stems, using scissors. If there is a plastic center in the flower, pull it out and discard it so that there is a tiny hole in the center of the flower.

    • 9

      Apply 1/2 tsp. of hot glue to the back of the flower, just underneath the center hole. Place the flower at the top rim of the bottle cap with the center hole extending downward in between the bottle cap and the bottle. Repeat the process to apply additional flowers around the perimeter of the cap.

    • 10

      Unscrew the bottle and fill it with a mixture of 4 parts water and 1 part sugar. Shake the mixture well to dissolve and screw it back onto the cap.

    • 11

      Wrap a piece of 3-foot-long string tightly around the outside of the bottle and tie it in a knot to secure it. Tie the free end of the string to the knotted area to form a loop. Hang the feeder in an outdoor location.