This Bizarre Garden Feature Promises More Hummingbirds. Does It Work?

Hummingbirds are one of the most delightful animals to witness in your garden, and they can serve an important role as pollinators, but attracting them to your yard isn't always as easy as setting out a feeder. Some people may not realize that hummingbirds need more than just nectar and sugar water. Like most animals, they also need protein, which they can acquire from eating spiders and other insects. In fact, up to 80% of their diet should come from eating bugs. There are countless genius tips and tricks to attract more hummingbirds to your garden, but what if all you needed was a special hanger and a piece of old fruit? If you want to bring hummingbirds into your yard, it makes sense to offer one of their most important food groups, insects, and a banana feeder, which may be just the key to drawing in these zippy birds by attracting their favorite prey. 

In the wild, most hummingbirds live in areas where tropical fruits are naturally abundant, creating an environment where fruit flies thrive. When they migrate to North America, hummingbirds may have a harder time finding enough insects to fulfill their protein needs. Here's how a banana feeder may help you lure more hummingbirds into your yard, some safety precautions to keep in mind, and how you can acquire one or even make your own. 

How could it be that an overripe banana is the secret to attracting more hummingbirds to your yard? It's not the bananas themselves that draw hummbirds' attention, but the insects that swarm around ripe and rotting fruits. Fruit flies and gnats, especially, make the perfect prey for hummingbirds. Hummingbirds are like the cheetahs of the avian world, able to fly up to 33 miles per hour, swiftly change directions, catch prey mid-air, and swallow fruit flies whole. 

The National Audubon Society recommends placing ripe fruits, such as bananas, near your hummingbird feeder to lure in fruit flies with their sweet fragrance. One of the easiest ways to do this is with a banana feeder. Often marketed as a butterfly feeder, these feeders usually consist of a hanging plate or a wire that you can wrap around the whole banana to hang it on your patio or a nearby tree limb. While this type of feeder is effective for attracting fruit flies and other insects, it should be used with caution to avoid inviting unwanted pests. Fruit flies aren't the only critters that may flock to your banana feeder. Ants and roaches can quickly move in, too, so it's important to keep an eye on your feeder and replace the rotting fruit as needed.

There are plenty of premade banana feeder devices available on the market. For example, Amazon offers an affordable hammock-style banana holder, or you can purchase a moldable wire one from like this one from Etsy that bends to hold bananas of all sizes. If hanging a rotting banana isn't your idea of cute patio décor, alternative products like the Humm-Bug Hummingbird Protein Feeder from Duncraft for $33 will allow you to conceal sliced fruit or banana peels.

Making your own DIY banana feeder is also super simple. You'll need some flexible craft wire, such as this 22 gauge wire available in multiple colors from Michaels for $8, and an overripe fruit. This is a great opportunity to repurpose the old produce sitting in your fridge. Cut a generous length of wire, then gently wrap it around an overripe banana or banana peel, although nearly any fruit can work! After wrapping the banana, fold and twist the end to create a loop, then hang this fruit in your tree, and hummingbirds will flock to your yard, especially if it's near your existing hummingbird feeder. After a week or when the banana starts to slough off, take it down and replace it with a fresh, ripe fruit.