Why should we buy one, if we can build it ourselves with re-used products.

Apr 5, 2010

Keeping Ants away from your hummingbirds / sunbirds feeder


Water barrier: Ants will not cross a cooking oil barrier. Fill the cup with a little .In dry weather you can use the same device Ants can't cross powder. you can fill the box with talc powder, ginger powder or backing soda: Ants will never cross this line.
I prefer to use some cooking oil (it never drys up).
Make a small hole in the bottom of a small plastic box (you can use the heated paper clip).
Curve the edge of metal wire, push it up through the hole, and curve the other end of the wire (to use as a hanger).

Apply some glue on the top of the feeder's bottle and on the bottom of the box and Glue the base of the box to the head of the bottle; make sure that you hold the wire straight until it cools. Seal the hole with some more glue.
Fill the box with cooking oil and hang the feeder.
Vaseline barrier: Ants will not cross a Vaseline barrier.  Smear some on the wire or the hanger (make sure that they will not have any other way to get to the feeder, like a touching plant or such)
When I found ants walking all over the feeder, I applied some Vaseline on the wire and they couldn't cross.
You can see the ants still walking on the green non –treated wire, but can't cross to the treated metal wire.

5 comments:

  1. Thank you so much. Read your post to keep away wasp and how to make the feeder as well. It's been really helpful. Really appreciate the share. Thanks!

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  2. Thank you for the post, will do it with my kids.

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  3. Love your feeder! However, BE WARNED Oils vaseline or anything slippery will eventually get on your bird’s feathers making it difficult/impossible to preen them and fly and is not recommended by birders. Instead use fishing line to hang your feeder - most ants won’t climb this - and always spray off your feeder and ground with water after hanging to clean away any spills. And, please, never use insect poison or traps near any feeder.

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