ants on hummingbird feeder

Does anyone know how to keep the ants out of a hummingbird feeder? They invade my feeders the same day I put new food out. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Lou

there was a great thread a while back about spraying the feeders with PAM kitchen spray. it kept the yellow jackets and bees off but didn't bother the birds in the least. you could try it for ants too i guess.

I tried all sorts of different things, some pretty messy (like vaseline on the pole holding the feeder... but be careful not to get it too close to the feeder itself, as it wouldn't be good for feathers). But the solution that worked best for me was a water "moat" that you hung above the feeder, like this one http://www.humming-birds.com/moat.html (random google search, I have no experience with this vendor). You could probably make something that would work similarly... the idea is that there is no direct route for the ants to crawl down to the feeder without passing through the water (which they will not choose to do). Also, some feeders come with built-in "ant moats," but make sure they're deep enough that you won't be refilling them three times a day due to evaporation (or use petroleum jelly in the moat).

I did purchase one other "ant guard" contraption that worked with a chemical component, but it was more expensive and less re-usable (worked fine though)... I think it was a Perky Pet product, so let's see if I can find a link to show you... http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/RTProduct.asp?SKU=PP-242&src=froogle&kw=PP-242 (again, I have never ordered anything from this vendor).

Thanks to you both for these suggestions. I will build an ant moat . I had never thought of this. Great! Lou

You can build a great moat from a 1 1/4" PVC Pipe cap.

Start with a 1 ¼” PVC Pipe Cap
Drill a small hole through the bottom of the cap and push a piece of wire through the hole. I doubled the wire and pushed it back through the hole forming a loop at the bottom to hold the feeder.
Twist the wire at the top to form another loop to hang the moat/feeder.
Fill the bottom of the cap with something to waterproof, Hot Glue, regular glue, Silicone just what ever will make it water proof
Fill with water and you have an ant proof moat.
I can post a picture tomorrow if anyone is interested.
Betty

I usually just move the feeders around to different places so the ants dont hone in on one spot. This time of year it doesnt matter though because the birds eat the food faster than i can replace it and before the ants can get any.

Thanks for the moat instructions. That makes it pretty simple , and I need simple. Lou

I have mine hanging on 6 inches of nylon fishing line...works well.

Dispatcher,
The best thing I have found is shortening smeared on the hanger or the water trick. Unfortunetly here with the high temps any water seems to disapear quickly. I have several bowls of sugar water out for the orioles and use the shortening around the outer edge of the bowls....haven't had an ant in the bowls yet. Yes, the Pam works for bees but don't know about ants.

Thanks, I will try shortening too. Lou

I've tried vaseline smeared around my hanging pole, but it tends to drip in the heat and make a big mess. The water moats definitely work better for me... and if having them dry out is a problem, you can put a layer of vaseline in the bottom of the moat... that won't evaporate, and it will still deter the ants.

I made a moat this weekend for an extra feeder by poking a wire through a 6 oz. yoghurt container and securing it with "Plumber's Goop" adhesive, much as Betty described doing with the PVC cap. It's not very pretty, but if it does the trick I don't mind, and I can always spray it out with some of that Krylon spray paint for plastics.

I'm going to try the suggestion of using fishing line, but I'll bet the teeny ants that have been swarming in our yard lately will not have any trouble negotiating the line to reach the feeder.

Critter, I also have a shepards hook that I cemented in a pot. The cement only goes about 3/4 of the way so the rest can be filled with water, which keeps the ants out. I'll get a picture tomorrow for you. It only works for me when the temps aren't so high but it's also nice because I can easily move it around.

That's a great idea, putting the "ant moat" at the bottom of the pole rather than suspending it from the hook -- thanks!

Critter, here's a pic of my feeder cemented in the pot.

Or...you can do it the easy way, feed them by hand (lol)

that may be the best hummingbird picture ever.

Wow... mine aren't quite so bold! But we do have a feeder that we hang right by the window sometimes (there's a seed feeder there now), so that's... well, no, it's not quite as good... not at all, LOL... :-)

Really Critter, it not hard. Just take down all feeders and then stand by where a feeder was with your hand out. Really, they will come to you.

I think you probably have more hummers in your yard than I do... If we get a couple of families here again this year, I may try it, but I don't see them mobbing the feeder until there are fledglings around. I've had them get pretty bold about buzzing me to let me know that the feeder is empty, though, so if that happens maybe I'll try hand feeding. :-)

Sorry to bump such an old thread up, but WOW! Hand feeding hummingbirds. We just emptied a container with a big red lid. We've got to try this!

I actually found this thread looking for how to make a homemade ant moat. We don't have a PVC cap, but can improvise.

I just saw this thread from 5 years ago- a simple solution to the ant problem is Tanglefoot---a VERY sticky substance that can be applied to the part of the feeder hanger at any point. It doesn't melt and stays sticky for virtually years! I just use a toothpick and smear it on the loop hanger. Just Google Tanglefoot and you will find it. Nurseries sell it in tubes or tubs- mine is about 15 or more years old !

I recently hit on a solution for this problem. We've had trouble with ants in the feeders for a couple years.

We had also been having a problem with ants in the house. My husband used a grandular "home defense" product that was sprinkled around the perimeter of the house.

Then we put up the hummingbird feeders on shepherd's hooks. Within a matter on minutes (or so it seemed) they had found the feeders. I thought, hey I wonder if that repellent would work? I sprinkled it around the base of the hooks and viola! No more ants!

Katherine

Chalk dust, talcum powder, or cinnamon sprinkled liberally at the base of a shepherd's hook might help keep ants from climbing up. All three worked for me.

For me the simplest is still to apply Tanglefoot to the shepherd hook anywhere between the groung & feeder- ants will not cross the sticky. and it does not wash off or melt- one application is forever!