Facts About Nectar Fortress™
Nectar Fortress is naturally safe for these reasons:
• It is not sticky, tacky, or adhesive in any way.
• It does not contain petroleum products, including oil, waxes or grease.
• It is made entirely from food-based materials.
• It is made almost entirely of a fatty acid that birds naturally secrete to preen
and condition their feathers. So, it is designed to be inherently safe and compatible with bird physiology.
Cinnamon oil, the ant repelling ingredient of Nectar Fortress is used at such a low level that it is not a concern as an
irritant. Nectar Fortress is also made with oleic acid, called Omega-9, which is one of the major fatty acids secreted from a bird’s preening gland (uropygial gland). It is this secretion from the gland that birds use for preening and maintaining their feathers. Other components in preening secretion are waxes and wax-alcohols, but fatty acids are a major component of the preening secretion that birds use.
One well-studied example of preening gland composition from the research paper “Physiological and Biochemical Aspects of the Avian Uropygial Gland” shows: “The fatty acid composition of the lipids extracted from the gland secretion consisted of C14 to C20 chains, most of which were unsaturated, with a prevalence of oleic acid….”Saliba, A. and Montali D., Braz. J. Bio. (2009) 69 (2) 427-446
In other words, if a bird were to accidentally come in contact with the product, it is a material common in preen oil that the birds already use to preen and condition their feathers naturally.
In addition, the product is not easily transferred by contact once established because after application and exposure to the elements, it becomes firm, and is not easily disturbed. And, a very small amount of material is needed, less than 1/8th of a teaspoon.
Nectar Fortress™ has a six year safety track record. The product has been sold in stores and used by thousands of customers for six years, with no reported harm to hummingbirds.
Nectar Fortress was designed to be inherently safe for hummingbirds, while also solving a common problem for them and their feeders. We love hummingbirds, as we know you do too, and would never market a product that is a risk to them.
