So another way to cut off this issue before it occurs is to keep your feeder in good order.Įxposure to the hot sun and the elements means that a cheap hummingbird feeder can easily become cracked or damaged. Keep it Clean and Leak-FreeĪnts are more likely to be enticed to hummingbird feeders leaking their sweet contents or if there are any spills. Just make sure that you don’t place hummingbird feeders in too shady a spot. Avoid the center of your garden in full sun. It is best to place a feeder in partial or light shade. If you want to make sure your feeder remains ant-free, consider where you place your feeder. So think about choosing a more durable store-bought or DIY option. Plastic feeders can be cheap and break easily. It is also a good idea to think about the material from which your entire feeder is made. Many feeders can be purchased that already have built-in ant-moats and anti-bee measures affixed. After all, preventing an issue is always better than trying to solve it. If you haven’t yet chosen a hummingbird feeder, and are worried about ants and other pests, the right feeder can make a big difference. You may then need to take steps to ensure that hummingbirds can access the sugar within while ants cannot.īelow, we’ll take a look at some simple and sustainable, eco-friendly strategies to try that should help you solve this problem. To keep ants off your hummingbird feeder, you need to place your feeder in the right spot. How do I keep ants off my hummingbird feeder? So, you need to take steps to make sure that the feeder is clean and clear and stays that way to help your feathered friends. If you have ever dealt with ants on your property before, you know that once ‘scout’ ants find a food source, they will go and tell all of their friends, and before you know it, the place turns into a buffet for ants. Typically, however, if the feeder is infested with ants, hummingbirds will no longer use your feeder and will find another food source. If there are only a few ants, this will not always prevent hummingbirds from using a feeder. Will hummingbirds still feed if there are ants on the feeder? Hummingbirds seem to know this, and if ants take over a nectar feeder, hummingbirds tend to steer clear. Many ants, however, are not appealing to hummingbirds – they don’t like the taste.Īnts are, unfortunately, a potential disease vector and can contaminate the food source of hummingbirds when they die in the sugar water. Some types of ants are actually a food source for birds who need insects as well as nectar as part of their diet. But where there are a few ants, there can often soon be many, many more. If you only have a few ants, you might be confused about why this is an issue. It can be a problem when they swarm onto bird feeders, supping on the sugar water you have made for hummingbirds. However, when they get into inconvenient places or their populations surge to unmanageable numbers, then their colonies can, of course, become an issue. We often tolerate pest species in our space because they are not just pests but are crucial parts of the ecological systems around us.Īnts, per se, are not always an issue in gardens. Often, in an organic garden, we take a live-and-let-live approach. If you have ants on your hummingbird feeder, the first question that you might have is whether or not this is actually an issue. There are eco-friendly and sustainable solutions to keep these clever insects at bay that do not involve using harmful pesticides on your plot. So, how to keep ants out of hummingbird feeders? One issue often encountered by those trying to feed hummingbirds is ants on hummingbird feeders. However, hummingbirds are not the only ones attracted to the sweet nectar they contain. If you want to have a wildlife-friendly garden, one great thing to do is place hummingbird feeders.
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