How to Keep Ants Out of Hummingbird Feeders

Here is how to keep ants out of hummingbird feeder setups: stop the feeder from dripping, hang a water-filled ant moat between the hanger and the feeder, and remove every other route the ants can climb. All three are physical fixes, with no grease or insecticide involved. The first two come from the university extension and state wildlife sources we checked; the third is a matter of looking at what touches the feeder. This guide walks through each step, explains which popular fixes to skip and why, and covers what to do when ants have already reached the nectar.

This guide covers keeping insects away from backyard feeders. It is not advice on caring for sick or injured birds; if you find one, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator or your state wildlife agency.

Why Ants Find Your Hummingbird Feeder

Ants are after the same sugar water the hummingbirds are. Once a few scouts find it, a trail forms along whatever connects the feeder to the ground: the pole, the hook, a fence rail, or a branch. The trouble is not only the sugar they carry off. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach notes that ants often climb inside a hummingbird feeder and drown, which leaves a mess that means more frequent cleaning and replacing the nectar.

Leaks make the problem worse. The University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service explains that bottle-style feeders may drip when they hang in direct sun, because pressure builds in the air space inside the bottle and pushes sugar water out of the ports. Drips on the feeder, the hanger, and the ground below give ants a scent trail to follow before they ever reach the reservoir.

How to Keep Ants Out of Hummingbird Feeder Setups in Five Steps

1. Stop the drips first

The Arkansas extension service suggests a dripless feeder as a way to keep ants from discovering the feeder at all. If you are keeping the feeder you have, work through the common leak points:

• Move it out of direct sun. That addresses the pressure problem the Arkansas extension describes, and Smithsonian’s National Zoo also recommends placing feeders in the shade.
• Check the seal between the bottle and the base. If the feeder has a gasket, make sure it is seated, screw the base on straight, and look for cracks along the seam.
• Fill it over the sink, not in the yard. Rinse off anything that spills on the outside before you hang it back up.

If the feeder still drips after all of that, it may be time to replace it. When you shop for a new hummingbird feeder, pick a design that is easy to take apart and inspect.

2. Hang a water-filled ant moat above the feeder

An ant moat is a small cup with a hook on top and a hook underneath. You hang it from your pole or bracket, hang the feeder from the moat, and fill the cup with water. Any ant walking down toward the feeder has to cross the water. In a column for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, former Nongame program manager Terry W. Johnson writes that most ants reach the water’s edge, turn around, and retreat. The Intermountain Bird Observatory at Boise State University calls water moats above the feeder “great and safe for the birds.”

Two details decide whether a moat keeps working:

• Keep it filled. The Georgia column points out that moat water disappears over time, partly to evaporation and partly because birds drink it. A dry moat is no barrier, so look at it every time you refill the feeder.
• Use plain water. Because birds drink from the moat, do not add soap, oil, or anything else to it.

If you buy a ready-made ant moat, compare cup size, hook strength, and how easy it is to empty and rinse.

3. Or make a simple moat at home

Both the Georgia column and the Arkansas extension describe a homemade version. Push a piece of stiff wire through the center of a plastic cap, such as the top from a spray can, and bend it into a hook above and below the cap. Iowa State suggests a plastic jar lid works too. Seal the hole where the wire passes through; the Arkansas extension suggests silicone or hot glue. Without that seal, the water drains out and the ants walk straight down the wire. Hang it so the open side faces up, fill it with water, and hang the feeder from the lower hook.

4. Switch the hanger to fishing line

The Intermountain Bird Observatory suggests hanging the feeder by thin fishing line, thin enough that ants have trouble walking down it without falling off. Thin line has limited strength, so use line rated well above the weight of a full feeder, and check the knot and the line at every refill. A feeder that falls is a bigger problem than a few ants. You can combine the two methods by hanging a moat from the bracket and running fishing line from the moat to the feeder.

5. Cut off the back routes

Moats and fishing line keep ants off hummingbird feeder hangers, but they only guard the hanger. If a branch, a vine, a porch rail, or a house wall touches any part of the feeder, ants will use that route instead. Prune leaves and twigs back so nothing brushes the feeder when the wind blows, and hang it far enough from walls and eaves that it cannot swing into them. On a pole system with several arms, remember that every arm is a separate path: a moat on one arm does nothing for a feeder hanging from another.

What Not to Use on a Hummingbird Feeder

Several fixes that circulate online put substances where a hummingbird can touch or swallow them. The sources we checked do not all agree on these, so we follow the more cautious advice.

Petroleum jelly, grease, and cooking oil

Smearing grease on the pole is an old method, and the Georgia column calls it “a messy proposition at best.” Iowa State still lists sticky coatings and cooking oil on poles as options. The Intermountain Bird Observatory advises against greasy solutions altogether, because the sticky substance that traps ants also gets on hummingbird feathers and can interfere with their ability to regulate body temperature. The Arkansas extension, which does mention petroleum jelly on the hanging wire, warns to keep it off the feeder itself because it could gum up feathers. Given those warnings, and the fact that a water moat blocks the same route, we do not recommend coating any part of a feeder setup.

Insecticide sprays and pesticide ant guards

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is direct on this: by no means use a pesticide, because it would harm the hummingbirds. The Intermountain Bird Observatory also says to avoid insecticides near the feeder, including both sprays and ant guards filled with pesticides. Those guards can look like a moat. The Georgia column describes them as plastic shells holding disks treated with an insecticide such as permethrin, and notes that the assurance about these products comes from the manufacturers. Before you buy any ant guard, read the package; if it lists an insecticide or repellent chemical rather than a cup you fill with water, skip it.

Aluminum foil

Wrapping a feeder in aluminum foil also comes up in online feeder tips. None of the extension or wildlife agency pages we checked list foil as a way to stop ants, so it is not part of the steps above.

When Ants Have Already Reached the Nectar

Once ants are inside the reservoir, the nectar has to go. Pour it out away from the feeder area (not onto the ground right under it, which only draws more ants), then take the feeder apart and wash every piece. The University of Maine extension suggests that emptying and washing a feeder more often may discourage insects in general, and the National Zoo advises changing feeders every other day and cleaning them thoroughly each time to prevent harmful mold growth.

Before you rehang it, fix whatever let the ants in: add or refill the moat, wipe the hanger and pole, and trim anything touching the feeder. Hosing down sugar residue on the ground or deck below also removes the trail that drew them in the first place.

When It Is Fine to Leave Ants Alone

A few ants on the outside of a feeder are not an emergency. The University of Maine extension says that if insects are not gumming up the feeder or otherwise doing harm, you should leave them be, and points out that insects are an important part of the ecosystem that birds feed on too. Iowa State makes a similar point: tolerating insects at a feeder may be the most practical solution. The time to act is when ants are getting into the nectar or crowding the ports, not at the first sighting.

Ants and Hummingbird Feeders FAQ

Do ants hurt hummingbirds?

The sources we reviewed treat ants as a nectar problem rather than a direct threat to the birds: they drown in the reservoir and foul the batch. We found no source we could verify that describes ants injuring hummingbirds, so we make no claim either way.

How often should I empty an ant moat?

Every few days. The Georgia column recommends emptying the water that often so mosquito larvae cannot develop in it. Top it up in between whenever the level drops.

What if my feeder mounts on a window or deck rail instead of hanging?

A separate moat needs a hook above the feeder, so it will not fit a suction-cup or clamp mount. The Georgia column notes that some newer feeders have an ant moat built into the top, which is the option to look for on a feeder you cannot hang. For a mounted feeder you already own, steps 1 and 5 above (stop drips, cut off back routes) still apply.

Will an ant moat keep bees and wasps away too?

No. A moat stops insects that have to walk down the hanger, and bees and wasps fly straight to the ports. Keeping bees and wasps off the feeder takes different fixes than keeping ants away.

Final Thoughts

Most ant problems at hummingbird feeders come down to a leak and an open path. To keep ants away from hummingbird feeder ports for the season, fix the drips, put a moat of plain water between the hanger and the feeder, and make sure nothing else touches it. Skip grease and insecticides; a water moat and fishing line block ants without putting anything on the birds. For more on feeders, nectar, and feeder upkeep, see our Hummingbird Feeders section.

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