How do I Stop Ants?
Ants are one of the most abundance animals on the planet. So chances are no matter where you live you have ants close to your house and bird feeders. This is not a bad thing. Ants are responsible for the pollination and planting of many of the plants we enjoy and benefit from. For example did you know that ants are the only animal that sows trillium seeds? So next time you are looking at some beautiful trillium flowers on a spring day remember that ants planted all those bulbs. While they provide us with many wonderful things in our backyards it can be annoying when they take a liking to our bird feeders. Ants typically enjoy bird foods that are sticky and sweet such as nectar (for hummingbirds, orioles and butterflies), BirdBerry Jelly (for oriole) and fruit. Sometime they may be a little more adventures and eat suet; however this is typically suet flavours with fruit in them. Perhaps the ant’s greatest strength is their numbers; however their greatest weakness is water.
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Here is Our One and Only Rule for Keeping out Ants:
1. Use Ant Moats: Yes, it’s that simple. Ants cannot swim or make it across places where water is a few centimeters in depth so keeping them away from you feeders is actually quite simple. You can either buy a bird feeder with built in ant moats or you can attach an ant moat to an existing feeder. Many of our WBU Hummingbird, Oriole and Butterfly Feeders come with ant moats built into the feeders themselves, all you have to do is fill the moat with water and you are ready to go. You can also purchase a separate ant moat that easily attaches to most feeders. We even carry an ant moat that fits onto our Advanced Pole System® (APS) so that ants cannot travel up your pole system to access your feeders. The best part about using an ant moat is that many other animals benefit from them. We have had many reports of customers observing a wide variety of bird species bathing or drinking from the water in the ant moat. We have even had people tell us they have had birds eat the insects right out of the moat. Ant moats are also helpful for stopping other insects from getting in your feeders including earwigs. Make sure you clean out your ant moats regularly as they can collect a lot of bugs and the water can evaporate quickly in the heat. Here are some products we carry with built in ant moats as well as some ant moats themselves:
TRAP-IT™: TRAP-IT™ is the first and still the best to protect your hummingbird and oriole feeder from ants and other crawling insects. Insert between hanger and feeder and fill with 0.75 cups (177 mL) of water, providing a barrier to crawling pests. It is easily mounted with two 3/8 inch (0.96 cm) diameter (open) hangers, plated for excellent weather protection. The TRAP-IT™ is molded of one piece weather resistant plastic. In addition to keep insects out birds will occasionally bath in the TRAP-IT™’s water moat and occasionally even eat insects out of the moat. TRAP-IT™ is available in two colours red and orange.
Umbrella Ant Moat: Prevent ants from reaching the nectar in your hanging hummingbird feeder with the Umbrella Ant Moat. This charming unit blends a conventional moat with vivid color and a whimsical shape. The bright red finish enhances your hummingbird feeder, and the metal body ensures durability. Its upside-down umbrella shape creates a familiar silhouette, with raised ribs and a scalloped edge for exceptional realism. Use the item’s handle to hang it from a hook, and place your hummingbird feeder on the loop at the base. The open umbrella forms a reservoir, holding 4 Oz. (118 mL) of water which acts as a natural ant deterrent. Ants and other crawling insects are often hesitant to swim, so placing this moat above your hanging hummingbird feeder prevents ants from sullying the nectar. Protect your hanging hummingbird feeder from ants using this Umbrella Ant Moat. This moat is available in two colours red and black.
Dimensions: 3.5” D x 6” H
WBU Oriole Feeder: Orioles eat many types of food. They crave citrus when they arrive in the spring, eating orange halves and BirdBerry Jelly. Then they quickly turn to eating nectar, and then switch almost exclusively to insects while nesting. Our WBU Oriole Feeder offers nectar with several feeding stations, includes jelly wells in the lid and a place for an orange half. It's easy to hang and dishwasher safe. It also comes with a lifetime guarantee. The WBU Oriole Feeder has 4 feeding ports and holds 1.5 cups (350 mL) of nectar, an orange half and 4 feeding areas for BirdBerry Jelly.
Dimensions: 9” x 10.75” diameter
WBU Pagoda High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder: The newest to the line-up, our WBU Pagoda High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder has an attractive new square design, which still features everything you've come to love about these feeders! A high perch that allows hummingbirds to comfortably rest, a clear bottom that allows you to see hummingbirds’ tongues lap up nectar, as well as the level of the nectar, and a built-in ant moat to deter crawling bugs from reaching the nectar. Plus, included with the WBU Pagoda High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder are our WBU Nectar Guard® Tips which help protect nectar solution from bee and wasp contamination by creating a barrier that deters bees and wasps. Tips easily slide onto the feeding ports on the underside of the feeding cover. Each tip has a flexible center that opens when a hummingbird inserts its beak to feed and closes tightly when it removes its beak.
Dimensions: 7.5” x 7.5” diameter
WBU High Perch Large Hummingbird Feeder: Get the attention of one of nature's most mesmerizing creatures with our WBU High Perch Large Hummingbird Feeder. This specially designed feeder has a red cover that is highly attractive to hummingbirds, a built-in ant moat that keeps bugs out, a high perch that allows hummingbirds to comfortably rest and feeding ports that prevent rain water from diluting the nectar solution. It's easy to hang or pole-mount and easy to clean (its top shelf dishwasher safe). This feeder is backed with a lifetime guarantee. The WBU High Perch Large Hummingbird Feeder has 6 feeding ports and holds 2 Cups (475 mL) of nectar.
Dimensions: 9.5” x 9” diameter
WBU High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder: Our WBU High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder is the perfect way to attract hummingbirds to any yard. It features a high perch that allows hummingbirds to comfortably rest, providing you with better, longer views of the birds. The feeder has a clear bottom that allows you to see hummingbirds’ tongues lap up nectar (up to 12 times a second) as well as the level of the nectar solution. The WBU High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder comes with a built-in ant moat to deter crawling bugs from reaching the nectar solution and it has ports that keep rain water from diluting the nectar solution. It's easy to fill, clean (top shelf dishwasher safe) and hang, and it's backed with a lifetime guarantee. Best of all the recipe for the nectar is written on the inside of the feeder so that you will never forget. The WBU High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder has 4 feeding ports and holds 1.5 cups (350 mL) of nectar.
Dimensions: 9” x 7.75” diameter
WBU Small High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder: Our WBU Small High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder will help you attract hummingbirds to your yard. It features a high perch that allows hummingbirds to comfortably rest, providing you with better, longer views of the birds. The feeder has a clear bottom that allows you to see hummingbirds’ tongues lap up nectar (up to 12 times a second) as well as the level of the nectar solution. The WBU Small High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder comes with a built-in ant moat to deter crawling bugs from reaching the nectar solution and it has ports that keep rain water from diluting the nectar solution. It's easy to fill, clean (top shelf dishwasher safe) and hang, and it's backed with a lifetime guarantee. Best of all the recipe for the nectar is written on the inside of the feeder so that you will never forget. The WBU Small High Perch™ Hummingbird Feeder has 3 feeding ports and holds 1 cup (235 mL) of nectar.
Dimensions: 8.5” x 7” diameter
WBU Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder: With our WBU Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder, only a window pane stands between you and "the jewels of nature" — hummingbirds. This feeder is easily mounted to any window with two suction cups, and its clear bottom allows you to see hummingbirds quickly lap up the nectar solution. The WBU Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder features three feeding stations and a moat that, when filled with water, will keep ants and other crawling insects out of the feeder. It's also easy to clean and comes with a lifetime warranty (even if it falls to the ground). Best of all the recipe for the nectar is written on the inside of the feeder so that you will never forget. The WBU Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder has 3 feeding ports and holds 1.5 cups (235 mL) of nectar.
Dimensions: 7.75” x 5.75” x 2”
WBU Mini Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder: With our WBU Mini™ Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder only a window pane stands between you and "the jewels of nature" — hummingbirds. This feeder is easily mounted to any window with two suction cups, and its clear bottom allows you to see hummingbirds quickly lap up the nectar solution. The WBU Mini™ Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder features two feeding stations and a moat that, when filled with water, will keep ants and other crawling insects out of the feeder. It's also easy to clean and comes with a lifetime warranty (even if it falls to the ground). The WBU Mini™ Decorative Window Hummingbird Feeder has 2 feeding ports and holds 0.5 cups (118 mL) of nectar.
