A Life-Hack to Keep Ants Out of Our Hummingbird Feeder
I was distressed last month to discover that ants had found their way into our hummingbird feeder. These little critters are incredibly clever and persistent, and seem capable at times of almost magical acrobatic feats.
The little buggers actually climbed down the extremely slender cable supporting our hummingbird feeder and got up inside the dispensing bottle!
Behold, the Ant
Photo courtesy of kazuend and http://unsplash.com
Even though I hate what they do,
I have to grudgingly admire ants' tenacity and their ability to find what they need to care for their own.
Even the bible praises ants for the characteristics that make them a success, and holds them up for our consideration as an example of industrious tenacity.
"Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise." - Proverbs 6:6
and
"the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer;" - Proverbs 30:25
Nevertheless, I would rather not have the ants aquire their food in my house, or take the food that I put out for hummingbirds.
The last time I filled the feeder and found that the ants had come down from the eaves, I sprayed some nasty poison under the eaves before hanging the feeder up again.
The next time we noticed the feeder was empty, I was disappointed to discover that the ants had returned. I guess the poison had dissipated to the point where it was no longer a barrier.
Can Ants Swim?
Then I had a flash of inspiration. "Can ants swim?" I wondered, and then asked the oracle (a.k.a. Google).
My Original Image
Some Ants Can Swim...
It turns out that some ants can swim, but most of them can't. And so I added a "water barrier" to our hummingbird feeder.
My Original Image
If you look closely,
you can see that after climbing down the support cable, the ants will now have to swim across "the pond" in order to get down into the feeder proper. If I find that any ants are clever enough to get across the water barrier, I'll just float a thin layer of ant poison on top of the water.
Depending on where you live and the varieties of ants that live near you, your milage may vary. But I think that our immediate problem is now solved.