How Can I Prevent Ants From Getting Into My Hummingbird Feeder?
WouterFortunately, there are a few simple ways to keep ants away from your hummingbird feeder. For starters, you can use safe insecticides to prevent ant swarms from forming near your feeders.
You may also wish to place your feeder in a partially shaded area. This is especially true if you live in an area that experiences extreme heat. This will prevent your nectar from heating up and leaking.
Another clever ant deterrent is mint. This plant has a strong scent that ants don’t like. You can plant mint near your feeders and rub it on the base of the feeder to dissuade ants.
If you are in an area where ants are a problem, you may want to consider putting up an ant moat. This is a large water filled container. Ants can’t swim across these large bodies of water, so they are deterred.
Another clever way to keep ants away from your feeder is to use an “umbrella” type of cover. This will shade the feeder and keep ants away from the nectar.
You can also build a hummingbird feeder ant trap. A good ant trap is made from a plastic aerosol spray can lid, with a plastic ring around the center. This will create two compartments, one for the inner ring and one for the outer ring.
You can also install a tin can as an ant moat. This is one of the most common ant deterrents. You can make it water tight by attaching two threaded hooks through a turnbuckle.
