Attract Hummingbirds To Your Yard With A Little-Known Fruit Hack

Although it's well known that hummingbirds like nectar and sugary things, they're also a big fan of insects. In fact, 80% of their diet consists of insects and spiders, which serve as great sources of protein for them. So, while it may seem risky to intentionally attract insects to your yard, doing so can be well worth it if you want to see more hummingbird activity — and fortunately, if you do it right, the hummingbirds will be snacking on all your six-legged guests anyhow. 

What do you need? Easy enough, nothing more complex than an overripe banana. This yellow fruit is a prime attractor of fruit flies and other small insects, so placing it in a strategic spot will lure in all the little creatures just in time for a hummingbird to come by and eat them in quick measure. While a hummingbird may eat a bit of the banana itself, as well, it's not bad for them. And really, it's going to be the insects that they'll be most happy to indulge on instead. Here's how to get started.

There are a few ways to make use of bananas to attract insects and hummingbirds. The simplest method is to add an overripe banana to a shallow dish,  but if you don't want to do that, an alternative is to hang a banana in a mesh bag instead.  Remember that placement is key with this fruit hack. You'll want to place the dish close to spots you've already seen hummingbirds if you want them to notice it more easily, or target a spot close to your hummingbird feeders to encourage them to start poking around more there, as well. 

Aim for an overripe banana instead of a greenish one, because you want to make sure the banana scent is as potent as possible. It's a good idea to peel the banana first before placing it in the dish. On the other hand, simply using the peels is likely to be effective as well. With that in mind, you could easily just eat your bananas like usual, and then save the peels for the fruit flies (and the hummingbirds that will eat the flies and the peel) instead of dropping them in the compost or trash.

This fruit hack can work well, but keep in mind that the features are also the drawbacks. You'll be attracting insects to your yard, so you may want to stop using this hack if the hummingbirds aren't removing the insects well enough. That's unlikely to be an issue, since they can consume quite a few insects, but if you don't have any hummingbirds coming in the first place, you could run into issues. Of course, overripe and rotting fruit can also potentially attract the attention of rodents, as well, so remove the banana if you notice any signs of them.

Also, remember that a banana is only one piece of the puzzle when attracting hummingbirds. For best results, be sure they have other reasons to come around your home as well. Maintain a hummingbird-friendly yard in other ways if you want them to eat any insects that appear. By planting flowers that attract hummingbirds, adding cascading water features, and hanging a nectar feeder, they'll be more likely to show up.

You should also replace the banana on a regular basis. Once it has broken down into mush, remove it from the area. Then, add another one to ensure it will keep attracting insects and hummingbirds. Avoid adding too many overripe bananas to your yard at once and take it slow to avoid unintended consequences.