I had the problem of having ants in my hummingbird feeder. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of small plastic bowls and some super glue. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bowl and ran the wire from the feeder through it and covered the bottom of the bowl with the glue where the wire passes through. Let it cure for a few hours, and voila! No more ant problem after putting water in the bowl! Now both of my feeders are ant-free. Cost about $4.00. Good luck.
By Chris
Try putting Vaseline on the wire or string you have it hanging with. I mean alot too. The ants have a hard time walking thru it and get stuck. This is the only non-chemical way i found to ward them off. (06/11/2005)
By Kat
Try smearing Vaseline around the hanger. The ants won't be able to get through it. (06/11/2005)
By mitsy
I tried the Vaseline last year and it seemed to help but this year the ants have gotten smarter. They seem to walk through the Vaseline. They move very slowly and very eagerly but a few still manager to get through, maybe the rest turn back. If you are going to put it on be sure to put it on thick and from every angle that they might find to come toward the feeder.
By Connie
I have one of those long poles meant for hanging two plants, but decided to hang two humming bird feeders this year. The ants climbed up the tall pole and filled the feeders. I heard that ants don't like bay leaves so i tied a couple to the pole and it worked, they won't cross the bay leaf. Just tie a bay leaf to the wire that is holding your feeder on the hook. (06/11/2005)
By LEONA
Go to your local plant nursery. I ordered through our nursery here last year and got them to bring in for me... an ant moat. (Just google this item for a picture). It works wonderful. Ants will not cross water. Easy to attach to the hummingbird feeder and just fill with water. I ended up paying about $10 each (ordered 2) after shipping and handling but it was worth it...no more large black ants to clean out of the feeders!
Last year I tried vaseline. Vaseline collects dirt and is messy to work with. I found that it sort of deterred the ants but not really.
The ant moats can be used year after year. I attached it to the top of the hummingbird feeder and filled it with water. It deterred the ants. Next time I had to refill the hummingbird feeder I did not use the moat and found that the ants did not come back because they thought that the moat was still there.
Now to deter them from my retaining wall! (06/13/2005)
The ant moat idea works. My mother-in-law made her own out of a paint can lid. Just drill or poke a hole in the center of it and thread it down the wire or string hanger and fill with water.
(06/14/2005)
Is there not a big drawback with using any water-filled obstruction, namely, you are creating the perfect environment for mosquito-breeding? (07/16/2005)
By Woogie Monster
We have tried white grease on the wire holding the feeder... no luck. Tried Vaseline... no luck. We tried fishing line (they are not supposed to be able to climb it)... no luck. We have now moved the feeder to a different area, about 15 feet from the original spot. I heard this sometimes works. Our feeder fills up with so many ants, the birds won't feed! We live in a sandy area, and ants are a big problem and almost impossible to get rid of. Our next try will be the moat as mentioned here. (07/21/2005)
By Lori
You know I have tried the Vaseline, thick, thin, backward, forward. I am not convinced that it is my key. I have tried peppermint oil that I heard may work, smells good but didn't work. I am now convinced the only thing that will work is fire. I love my birds and am ready to give up.(08/07/2005)
By Marcie
Hey Mama, I had the same problem. I went to Wal-Mart and bought a couple of small plastic bowls and some super glue. I drilled a hole in the bottom of the bowl and ran the wire from the feeder through it and covered the bottom of the bowl with the glue where the wire passes through. Let it cure for a few hours, and voila! No more ant problem after putting water in the bowl! Cost about $4.00. Good luck. Chris. (08/14/2005)
By Chris Over
Be careful with vaseline, it can gum up the birds wings. (04/26/2007)
By birdlover
Add your voice! Click below to comment. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
