Sugar to water of 1:4 works well as others have said. Food coloring and pre-made mix with all kinds of additives are probably not best for them, just use feeders/bee screens with any bright color on them.

If you're patient, you can hold an index finger under the feed tube and after awhile a bold one will sit on your finger and give you a look over. He may even sit there while his buddies buzz him. I've had them drink while hanging feeders.

Don't crowd them until they get used to you. Start by just standing nearby a single feeder. If you have a number of them out, they'll just move to a distant one. Then with hold your finger a couple inches below the feed tube and raise your finger slowly to their feet while one's feeding. Just try to suppress the instant smile or giggle.... As a kid, I used to spend hours at my grandma's house with them buzzing all around me. Had a few run into me during dogfights. My love and her mother didn't believe me when I told them how they'd sit on your finger. I can still see their smiles in my mind when that first one perched on their finger.... Go ahead, be a kid again