There's nothing worse than watching ants swarm your hummingbird feeder to steal the nectar from the birds and make a sticky mess of your peaceful backyard. But there is a simple and effective way to eliminate ants with no need for chemicals or complex devices.
Bring Hummingbirds Right To Your Window!
Check PriceReasons Ants Destroy Hummingbird Nectar and Why it Should Matter This Spring
Save this article for later so you don't lose it. Enter your email and I'll send it to you now—plus you'll get my favorite backyard birding tips delivered to your inbox.
Ants are immediately attracted to sugar water, and once they find your feeder, they will recruit hundreds of their colony mates to make insect highways. They will climb anything from poles to wires from the ground to reach the nectar. The visual impact of this is just the beginning of the problem. The ants will contaminate the sugar water causing it to ferment and develop mold. Many people do not realize this, but hummingbirds are very discerning about the quality of water. If the water is too contaminated they will abandon the feeder.
Spring makes this issue even more urgent. The warm weather means that hummingbirds will be migrating back and breeding. During this process, they will rely on food sources that will be provided by people through hummingbird feeders. If your feeder is overrun with ants, your neighbors will get the traffic from those ants to their yard instead. And a little warm weather means the fresh nectar will turn bad quicker which means the ant contamination will make your fresh sugar water bad within a day or two.
There is some good news. Ants can't swim. This simple fact is the basis for one of the best tricks in backyard birding.
What is an Ant Moat and What is the Purpose?
An ant moat is a device that prevents ants from invading your bird feeder. It is a cup that holds water and hangs from the bird feeder's hook. The moat sits between the hook and the feeder, and the ants can't go through the water barrier it presents. Just touch a stick or bait and the ants will hit the moat and won't cross. No need to use chemicals or sticky stuff. Instead, keep it simple with barriers that ants can't cross as long as there's a moat.
The majority of ant moats are basic containers that are dome or cup shaped with hooks on top and on bottom. You hang it from your pre-existing shepherd's hook or from a tree branch, fill the cup with just water, and then hang your hummingbird feeder from the bottom hook. When ants march down, they reach the water and then turn back. It’s as simple as that.
This design is perfect because its passive design means that once it is installed and filled with water it will really need anything from you. Plus, other birds will find the water reservoir! Finches, warblers, and cardinals may even sip from the water, especially when natural water sources are dried up. It gives you a small birdbath as well as protecting your nectar investment!
An ant moat will not be effective against flying insects (like bees or wasps), but as pollinators, they typically don’t ruin nectar like ants do. For ground-based pests, however, moats are almost entirely effective.
Get our free Hummingbird Attraction Guide! Plus, we'll send you our best tips for attracting more birds to your yard.
Best Ant Moats for Your Backyard Setup
Several fantastic choices can be found on the market, most of which can be categorized as clear plastic models or red-tinted models that match the colors of traditional hummingbird feeders.
The reason why people love clear capacity moats is because they can store more water. Some models even have little reservoirs that store up to 3 ounces of water, meaning you won’t have to refill it every day, even during hot weather. Customers praise these for their long lasting quality and simple installation. When purchasing one of these, make sure to check for deep cups and strong hooks that won’t flex with the weight of a full nectar feeder, and the clear design allows you to see when the water needs to be refilled.
Hummingbird feeders with moats are great for people who like a streamlined aesthetic. These feeders have a red ant moat that goes well with classic red hummingbird feeders. These feeders hold slightly less nectar than others, but they can still give protection for several days between refills. Buyers claim the red color does not affect performance—ants cannot see the color and the hummingbirds do not care. Most important are the water depth and hook stability.
Regardless of style, look for models with the following features: hooks rated for a minimum of two pounds, wide cup openings for easy cleaning, and UV-stabilized materials that resist cracking after a season of direct sunlight. Veteran backyard birders recommend that spending a little more money on a high-quality moat is economically wise in the long run, as the cheaper versions tend to fail within a few months.
Most backyard moats can be simple water barriers, however, some specialized moats are designed with built-in bee guards and/or other additional features.
TERULF Ant Moat for Hummingbird Feeders
Check PriceStep-by-Step: How to Set Up and Care For Your Ant Moat During High Traffic Times
The whole process is under five minutes. Start by taking down your existing hummingbird feeder from its place. Next, take the ant moat and hang it from the shepherd's hook, tree branch, or ceiling hook in the same location as your feeder. The fill the moat's top cup with clean water (tap water is perfectly fine). Then simply hang your nectar feeder from the moat's bottom hook and you're done.
Ensure that the moat is even. If it isn't, water will pour out of one side and defeat the purpose. You may want to adjust the top hook to get it to sit more evenly.
Maintenance is minimal but important:
- Check the water levels every 2-3 days. In hot and windy conditions, evaporation and the, 'sunkissed' water will lead to rapid water loss.
- Remember to refill the moat to keep ants from crossing the water. Just a quarter inch of water is enough to stop the ants, but a half inch keeps them out for a longer period of time.
- Each time you clean your feeders, be sure to clean the moat. Algae can build up in stagnant water. While this is not harmful to the birds, it is not helpful to the moat. A quick rinse with hot water and a soft brush will keep your moat clean.
- Remove or drain moats in extremely cold weather. Water expands when frozen and can cause plastic containers to break.
Common troubleshooting:
If ants are still getting to your feeder, see if they are coming from below or above. Ant moats will only stop ants from coming from above. If your feeder is mounted on a pole, you could add a second barrier. Petroleum jelly used on the pole works, but may be messy and will need to be reapplied.
If the water is going down quicker than evaporation can explain, you may have a small leak. Check the moat's seams and replace them if needed. If not, you may have some fairly enthusiastic birds drinking from the moat, which is a good problem to have! Just refill the moat more often.
Some birders have concerns that mosquitoes will breed in the water. Fortunately, this is not a common issue due to the fact that mosquito larvae require several days of still water in order to develop, but you are changing the water during regular cleaning of the feeder. Still, if you add a drop of vegetable oil to the surface, it will form a barrier that prevents mosquitoes from laying eggs, and it won’t harm the birds.
These tips will ensure that your ant moat stays free from nectar, spring mornings will be free from the frustration of ants taking your sugar water, and birds will be happy too! Cleaning your moat is one of the small changes that you can do that will make a significant difference when it comes to attracting birds to your backyard. Enjoy!
