A friend who is a new hummingbird enthusiast recently asked me what I would recommend as the most effective way to solve the problem of ants at your hummingbird feeder. My response was the use of an ant moat. She looked at me with a puzzled look on her face and then asked me to explain exactly what an ant moat is and how it works. That recent experience got me to thinking that there may be others out there who are wondering the same thing, so this is what has inspired me to write about it in this post.
The best description that I can offer of an ant moat is that it is a small cup-like device that hangs between your feeder and your hook. You then fill the device with water and this then creates a barrier the ants. Some ant moats are sold separately or some models of hummingbird feeders come with a built in ant moat. Either one will work and the choice is entirely up to you.
Ants can be a nagging problem if you have hummingbird feeders, but the ant moat is a great solution to this very common problem. So look into this as a way to solve this persistent problem. You will be glad you solved this problem and so will the hummingbirds.