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Index of Subjects --0-1766693809-1271510490=:66302 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Thank you Phil, =A0 That's very interesting and thank you very much=A0for the explanation of th= e science behind it and in describing your experience with the butterflies = and hummingbirds. =A0 Much appreciated! =A0 Gayle MacLean Dartmouth --- On Sat, 4/17/10, Phil Schappert <philjs@eastlink.ca> wrote: From: Phil Schappert <philjs@eastlink.ca> Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Regarding Hummingbird Sugar Water To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca Received: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 9:09 AM At 5:13 AM -0700 4/17/10, Gayle MacLean wrote: > My friend in East Chezzetcook who always has lots of hummingbirds visitin= g every year said that she always has put a drop of grapefruit seed extract= into each batch of hummingbird sugar water that she makes. She states it i= s a natural preservative, an anti-bacterial and is anti-fungal. She also sa= ys that it allows it to stay fresher longer. She also puts some in the wate= r of her African Grey Parrot too, to keep the 'nasty's' away. Anyway, she h= as been doing this for years and says she hasn't lost a hummer yet. > I've never read anywhere where this additive is suggested. > Has anyone ever heard of this or does anyone else suggest this? It's likely that this works, Gayle, by lowering the pH of the sugar water, = likely by adding acetic acid in this case, from the seed extract. Not knowi= ng the constitution of the extract, I can't be definitive but I used to do = something similar for artificial nectar for rearing butterflies for researc= h and also used a similar recipe to preserve sugar water for hummingbird fe= eders while I was in the strong sun and high heat of central Texas. Basically, I added very small amounts of three naturally-occurring organic = acids (ascorbic, sorbic and benzoic -- ascorbic is vitamin C, and sorbic an= d benzoic are from rowan (or mountain ash) berries and the bark of snowbell= or spicebush-type trees/shrubs, respectively) to a mixture of sugar/honey,= three kinds of salts and casein (basically skim milk powder, a source of a= mino acids) to lower the pH of the nectar below that which bacteria and fun= gi can tolerate. The acidic pH didn't bother the butterflies at all and did= n't bother the hummingbirds when I included just the ascorbic and benzoic a= cids to just sugar and water to make the sugar water last longer than a day= or two in the Texas heat. Phil --=20 Phil Schappert, PhD 27 Clovis Ave. Halifax, NS, B3P 1J3 902-404-5679 (home) 902-460-8343 (cell) www.myspace.com/philschappert www.philschappert.com www.aworldforbutterflies.com "Just let imagination lead, reality will follow through..." =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0= =A0=A0(Michael Hedges) =0A=0A__________________________________________________=0ADo You Yahoo!?= =0ATired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around =0Ahttp:= //mail.yahoo.com --0-1766693809-1271510490=:66302 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <table cellspacing=3D"0" cellpadding=3D"0" border=3D"0" ><tr><td valign=3D"= top" style=3D"font: inherit;"><DIV>Thank you Phil,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>That's very interesting and thank you very much for the explanati= on of the science behind it and in describing your experience with the butt= erflies and hummingbirds.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Much appreciated!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Gayle MacLean</DIV> <DIV>Dartmouth<BR><BR>--- On <B>Sat, 4/17/10, Phil Schappert <I><philjs@= eastlink.ca></I></B> wrote:<BR></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(= 16,16,255) 2px solid"><BR>From: Phil Schappert <philjs@eastlink.ca><B= R>Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Regarding Hummingbird Sugar Water<BR>To: naturens= @chebucto.ns.ca<BR>Received: Saturday, April 17, 2010, 9:09 AM<BR><BR> <DIV class=3DplainMail>At 5:13 AM -0700 4/17/10, Gayle MacLean wrote:<BR>&g= t; My friend in East Chezzetcook who always has lots of hummingbirds visiti= ng every year said that she always has put a drop of grapefruit seed extrac= t into each batch of hummingbird sugar water that she makes. She states it = is a natural preservative, an anti-bacterial and is anti-fungal. She also s= ays that it allows it to stay fresher longer. She also puts some in the wat= er of her African Grey Parrot too, to keep the 'nasty's' away. Anyway, she = has been doing this for years and says she hasn't lost a hummer yet.<BR>>= ; I've never read anywhere where this additive is suggested.<BR>> Has an= yone ever heard of this or does anyone else suggest this?<BR><BR>It's likel= y that this works, Gayle, by lowering the pH of the sugar water, likely by = adding acetic acid in this case, from the seed extract. Not knowing the con= stitution of the extract, I can't be definitive but I used to do something similar for artificial nectar for rearing butterflies for resear= ch and also used a similar recipe to preserve sugar water for hummingbird f= eeders while I was in the strong sun and high heat of central Texas.<BR><BR= >Basically, I added very small amounts of three naturally-occurring organic= acids (ascorbic, sorbic and benzoic -- ascorbic is vitamin C, and sorbic a= nd benzoic are from rowan (or mountain ash) berries and the bark of snowbel= l or spicebush-type trees/shrubs, respectively) to a mixture of sugar/honey= , three kinds of salts and casein (basically skim milk powder, a source of = amino acids) to lower the pH of the nectar below that which bacteria and fu= ngi can tolerate. The acidic pH didn't bother the butterflies at all and di= dn't bother the hummingbirds when I included just the ascorbic and benzoic = acids to just sugar and water to make the sugar water last longer than a da= y or two in the Texas heat.<BR><BR>Phil<BR><BR>-- <BR>Phil Schappert, PhD<BR><BR>27 Clovis Ave.<BR>Halifax, NS, B3P 1J3<BR>902-404-56= 79 (home)<BR>902-460-8343 (cell)<BR><BR>www.myspace.com/philschappert<BR>ww= w.philschappert.com<BR>www.aworldforbutterflies.com<BR><BR>"Just let imagin= ation lead, reality will follow through..."<BR> =  = ; (Michael Hedges)<BR></DIV></BLOCKQ= UOTE></td></tr></table><br>________________________________________________= __<br>Do You Yahoo!?<br>Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam prote= ction around <br>http://mail.yahoo.