50% water, 50% rubbing alcohol in your moat. Article posted on my blog page http://garden.org/blogs/view/P...

What a great idea!

I was just happy it worked, lol...I got sick of seeing ants crawling all over the feeder, so I took a gamble on this idea. Too funny, I went and looked at the top of the feeder about an hour ago, and I see ants crawling down to the feeder...then turning back around...then trying again...then turning back around...lmao

Did you see this tip? Doesn't require a special type of feeder and they're really easy to make. We had so much trouble with ants in our feeders; haven't had a problem at all since we tried this idea. Just got to keep those moats filled. But she does say not to put anything nasty in the water because small birds will drink from the reservoirs.

http://garden.org/ideas/view/X...

Didn't see that post, awesome! But they were still swimming through the water, so I gave up on that idea, but I'll give this a try. And ever since I have had the feeder up, not one bird besides hummers have ever come close to my balcony.

They're really easy to make, too. I did one just using a cap, a plastic champagne cork, and a hot glue gun. I was in a hurry and didn't want to wait for stuff to dry! Actually, I haven't seen anything other than hummingbirds around my feeders either. And I am a HUGE fan of rubbing alcohol. Did you know that if you put it in a spray bottle, it will kill wasps and yellow jackets just as well as that nasty wasp and hornet spray? No lingering odor and no nasty residue. Of course, I only use it if I have one indoors in a window. Soak that puppy down with alcohol and they drop like a rock.

I'll give it a shot for sure--I'm not a wine drinker (I loves me Voddie, lol ), but I will be here soon to give this a try. I defo have a hot glue gun and plenty of tools, so no worries there I am a huge fan of rubbing alcohol too, I've seen it work like the marines against the nasties that want to destroy my plant family (that there is fightin words, lol ). I do have some in a spray bottle, and I've seen hornets and wasps 'creepin' around my balcony garden! I actually bought a bunch of spray bottles: Made proper mixes for water and rubbing alcohol, water and aspirin, water and hydrogen peroxide, a mist spray bottle with water and miracle grow and a bottle of water and bayer spray for my biggest enemy, the spider mites!

Awesome tho Woofie, me and those wasps are gonna have a water fight, hehe

Hee hee, sic 'em!

I get cooking oil on my fingers and coat the hanger and top of feeder. Ants go slip sliding away.

I've heard of people putting petroleum jelly as well as cooking oil on their nectar feeder hanger's to deter ants too but it's not something I"d feel comfortable using ... same for the alcohol/water mixture ... I'd be so worried that a bird would stick their bill into it and be poisoned.

Woofie: Thanks so much for sharing that article/tip by Xerantheum! I have one feeder with a built in ant moat but I'm going to try her method on one of the other feeders!

Just remember to keep the caps full of water. If they go dry, the darn ants come right back!