DEAR SUN SPOTS: Many people put up hummingbird feeders so they can watch the cute little birds. They could be doing more harm than good if they don’t keep the feeders scrupulously clean. Check this site: http://tinyurl.com/23cjhq5. — Marilyn Burgess, stocker7@fairpoint.net

ANSWER: Sun Spots is also a hummingbird fan. She subscribes to a magazine called Birds & Blooms that frequently covers hummingbirds. A recent tip suggested cleaning your feeders with vinegar to rid it of any lingering fungi.

Another hint that Sun Spots found useful was to put pennies in your bird bath to reduce that slimy algae. It actually works! You still have to wash your bird bath regularly, but it doesn’t “green up” so quickly.

DEAR SUN SPOT: I have 12 4- by 5-inch glass photographic plates from the late 1800s. Where can I send them or take them to get them developed? — J. Arthur Boivin, jarthurboivin@hotmail.com

ANSWER: Sun Spots didn’t find much online. There is plenty of information about the history of photography and glass plates, but not much about developing them.

At http://tinyurl.com/3x8wj8e there is a description of some home techniques for scanning or photographing them.

Developing glass plates wouldn’t be much of a money-maker for a commercial enterprise. It seems like such a specialty might require sending them to a museum or university. You might try contacting the New England School of Photography, 537 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, MA 02215-2005, 617-437-1868, www.nesop.com.

You didn’t say where you found these plates or how they’ve been stored, but obviously they are fragile. For information on how to handle and store them, visit http://tinyurl.com/2vnlt37.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: There used to be a place online where we could go and see how all our senators and representatives voted on each bill. Now I cannot find it. Can you help? — No Name, Farmington

ANSWER: You can sign up to have the voting records of Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins and your representative, either Rep. Mike Michaud or Rep. Chellie Pingree, e-mailed to you at http://tinyurl.com/ajxj5f.

You might also want to check out the websites for the Senate and House, where not only voting records but details of upcoming legislation are available. Visit clerk.house.gov or www.senate.gov.

Also, keep your eye on the Sunday Sun Journal, where voting records are often published in the Perspective pages (back half of the C section).

DEAR SUN SPOTS: Help! I’m trying to restore two AM radios from the 1940s. I am in need of a vacuum tube tester. I’ve looked everywhere I could with no success. Are there any out there that I could use? Thank you. — Tom, Jay, 735-8865

ANSWER: They say timing is everything, and on this Sun Spots’ timing stinks. She just took a tube tester to the transfer station. She was going to sell it on eBay, but it had been in her father-in-law’s basement for years, and Mr. Sun Spots couldn’t say for sure it worked. So after moving it around and dusting it for longer than she cares to admit, she tossed it. The good news is that she knows they are available to purchase online. That means someone out there somewhere has one. Sun Spots hopes that person sees your letter.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I wanted to write and thank your readers for sending me their Box Tops for Education for Turner Elementary school. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. We surpassed our goal and collected $1,537 in box tops this year.

If anyone has any that they can donate, we are still collecting them and they will go toward our goal next year. We are also still collecting Campbell Soup Labels. They may be mailed to me at 5 Brookfield Estate, Turner, ME 04282. — Laurie Labbe, laurie.labbe@willis.com

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.