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Ant Baffles and Ant Moats for Hummingbird Feeders
Moat: Webster’s defines it as “A wide, deep ditch, usually filled with water, surrounding a medieval town or fortress”. And most ant moats are filled with water to alleviate the pesky ant problem… you see, ants can’t swim! They can not cross the water inside the ant moat to gain access to sweet nectar.Some ant moats however, operate beautifully without the use of water. This pretty wooden ant moat is deemed the “Anti-Ant Moat” and works perfectly. It does so because a special material is inserted on the under-side of the moat. Now I’m not quite sure what it is, but I do know ants avoid it. The reason I’m so sure of this is because I use one of these non-water ant moats with this substance in it, a green plastic one that h
as got to be at least five years old… and it still works great!One trick when using ant moats is to add a drop of salad oil to the water during extreme heat. This helps to slow the evaporation process, because an empty ant moat just won’t cut it. So what if you’ve got a staked hummingbird feeder? Ants can be a real pain in the butt-crawling directly up the stake and ruining fresh nectar. Hummers won’t drink nectar contaminated with ants. This is where ant baffles are used, with staked hummingbird feeders. They’re pretty much the same design as standard ant moats, but placed on the stake and used upside down. Now
how would an upside down ant moat hold water you ask? Petroleum Jelly… coating the underside of the ant baffle with this handy stuff keeps ants at bay!Don’t ever let ants ruin your hummingbird experience, or your nectar again. Use ant baffles and ant moats to keep ants out!
Oh yeah… and the simple nectar recipe: 1 cup plain table sugar to 4 cups of water-nothing else. No red dye needed either. Never use honey or artificial sweeteners as they’re harmful to hummingbirds. You don’t even need to boil the water, but using some will dissolve sugar quicker and more effectively. Right now, hummers need to double their body weight in preparation for the long migration home. Central and South America are very far away, so the nectar solution may even be a little stronger at 1:3 instead of the usual 1:4 ratio.
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make ant moat water last longer
If the current outdoor temperatures are any indication of the season ahead… it’s going to be a brutal one! Early June in the Southeast and my car said it was 99 degrees outside 🙁 Please be kind to wildlife by simply providing a fresh water source to help them thrive in this miserable heat. Aside from birdbaths, a leaf misters’ gentle spray is extremely popular with hummingbirds, butterflies, and most songbirds too!Speaking of miserable, if you feed hummingbirds (or Orioles, or Butterflies) you’re likely well aware of the attraction of the sweet, sticky nectar to pesky ants. The simplest and most effective way to keep ants from nectar is to use an ant moat. This inexpensive, one-t
ime investment will save many a headache and lots of nectar from ants. For staked hummingbird feeders, ant baffles are recommended to ward off the uninvited guests.Some hummingbird feeders do feature built-in ant moats, but even they must still contain water at all times to properly function. Ant Baffles simply use a coating of petroleum jelly on their underside to deter ants, whereas Ant Moats must have water inside for them to work. Ants can’t swim and will not cross water. During the dog days of summer with the extreme heat, you can actually help slow the evaporation process inside the moat by adding a drop of salad oil to the water. It will mean less time filling and more time watching.
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Ant Moats Make it Better
They don’t have to be fancy, just kept filled with water. When feeding hummingbirds or orioles, sweet nectar can easily become messy nectar! Filled with ants to ruin your pleasurable bird watching experience, and feathered friends’ meals too.Ant moats totally alleviate this pesky problem. As long as they’re kept filled with water-they’ll do their job properly. And by adding a drop or two of salad oil, it helps to slow evaporation during higher temperatures.
Basic ant moats work just as well as decorative ones, there’s even a clear model that allows you to easily view the water level…very clever! I’ve even read that you can make one from a peanut butter jar lid and some simple hardware.
Whatever model tickles your fancy, it’s definitely best to add one to feeders before ants become a problem!
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