Someone posted on another forum about a large number of ants they have crawling on their feeder. Would ants deter the hummers from coming to the feeder? Thanks in advance.
Hummingbirds and Ants
My Dad had a problem with ants in his feeder many years ago. They crawled into the feeder tube, drowned in the sugarwater, clogged up the tube, and started to decay. This did deter the hummers.
That wouldn't be good! Thanks dave-who-is-dave.
Kyla's post in the other forum reminded me of the other part of the solution. My parents put rings of a very sticky substance around the legs holding up the patio roof where the feeder sat. Kept the ants off.
Some hummingbird feeders have "ant moats" built in. You can also purchase them, or you can even make one... I used a yogurt cup, stuck a heavy wire through the bottom and then siliconed around it to make it watertight again. Bent the wire above and below the cup into loops for hanging... hung the cup from my shepherd's hook, then hung the feeder from the lower loop. Water in the cup or "moat" means the ants can't climb down the hook and get into the feeder (they can't go through the water).