ned@SCIRTP.UUCP (Ned Robie) (08/14/85)
x Wanted to share the design of a hummingbird feeder that my grandfather used to make... | | +------+------+ | | | |<----- A |~| |~~~~~~~~~| | | | <----------- B | | | | | | |<--------------- C | | | | | | | | | | +-+-+-----+-+-+ +-------------+ +-+-+-----+-+-+ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | # | | | | | | #O#<----------- D |~~~~~~#~~| |~| | | | | | | | | +-------------+ A: plastic medicine containers (snap-on lids) B: sugar water with red food coloring C: plastic straw D: feeding hole with four small red flower petals painted around it (fingernail polish can be used to paint the petals) Get two plastic medicine containers (equal size, with plastic non-childproof lids). Remove lids and glue them together (top to top). Make two straw-sized holes through the glued lids and glue in the straws so they appear as above when the containers are attached to their lids. Make sure there are no gaps between the straws and the edge of the holes. All gaps should be filled with glue to make them air tight. The bottom of one straw (the air straw) should be just below the feeding hole and its top should extend to just below the "top" of the top container. This straw regulates the level of the solution in the bottom container by letting air in the top (reservoir) only when the solution in the bottom has dropped sufficiently below the feeding hole (i.e. below the end of the air straw). The other straw (the solution straw) feeds solution into the bottom container when the air straw lets air into the reservoir. It worked really well and he had lots of hummingbirds feeding from them. He never solved the problems with bees, however. -- Ned Robie
ned@SCIRTP.UUCP (Ned Robie) (08/14/85)
x Whoops, forgot to mention that 3 or 4 feeding holes should be made (not just 1). -- Ned Robie