Hummingbird Market, a Tucson company that researches, formulates and manufactures hummingbird nectar, has released a new nectar that "more closely replicates the nectar from flowers."
The company is a collaboration between Douglas Everett and Jon Friedman, who also owns The Wild Bird Store on East Fort Lowell Road.
"Our main goal is to cause no harm," said Everett. "We'd like people to cause no harm to the hummingbirds."
A common practice among people wanting to attract hummingbirds to their yards is to fill a feeder with sugar water. But, according to Everett and Friedman, that's not a good idea.
"Although hummingbirds will come to any sweet liquid, it doesn't mean it's good for them," Friedman said.
"Nectar provides quick energy, like gas for your car. Not all energy is the same."
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Friedman continued with the gas analogy, saying if you put the wrong gas into a luxury car, it can ruin the engine. Same goes for hummingbird nectar.
"Not all nectar is the same," Friedman said. "Sugar water is not nectar."
Birds have a hard time metabolizing the wrong type of sugars, and it wears out their livers and kidneys, Friedman said.
Hummingbird Market was born out of the desire to educate the public on the harmful effects of white sugar on hummingbirds.
"We just want people to learn how to do this properly," Friedman said. "Without doing them harm and to not cut their lives short just because they want to attract them (hummingbirds) to their yards.
We're as much educators as we are manufacturers and retailers."
After about two years of research, the duo has formulated a nectar with a precise blend of plant sugars, without adding potentially harmful ingredients such as preservatives or coloring.
Friedman said Hummingbird Market's formula provides the birds with 99 percent of what they get from nature.
"It's a science-based recipe," Friedman said. "We're not just creating a product to sell and make money."
Hummingbird Market's goal was to create the safest, most beneficial and most affordable nectar. "We were able to hit all of these goals," Friedman said.
The company sells the nectar mix in several sizes, with a three-pound bag that makes a gallon and a half of nectar priced at $9.99.
The company's nectar price works out to about three to six cents an ounce, depending on package size. That compares with 14 to 28 cents an ounce for other commercial nectars, Friedman said.
Making a sugar-based mix at a recommended one-to-four sugar-to-water ratio costs less than a penny per ounce.
The locally-made nectar is available in several Tucson stores such as The Wild Bird Store, Harlow Gardens, Wild Birds Unlimited and Mesquite Valley Growers, to name a few.
According to Everett, Hummingbird Market is working on getting placed in stores outside of Tucson as well.
So far, the nectar is the number one selling item at The Wild Bird Store, Friedman said.
"The fact that it's locally made is a huge plus," Friedman said. "And the low prices show we're not being greedy. ... We're doing a service for the hummingbirds."
Where to buy it
Hummingbird Market, www.hummingbirdmarket.com.
Nectar is available in the following Tucson stores:
• Harlow Gardens, 5620 E. Pima St.
• Mesquite Valley Growers, 8005 E. Speedway
• OK Feed & Supply, 3701 E. Fort Lowell Road
• Tohono Chul, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte
• Tucson Audubon Society, 300 E. University Blvd.
• The Wild Bird Store, 3160 E. Fort Lowell Road
• Wild Birds Unlimited, 7645 N. Oracle Road
Contact reporter Angela Pittenger at apitteng@azstarnet.com or 573-4137.