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re: Hummingbird Swarm

Posted on 9/18/16 at 8:01 pm to
Posted by Twenty 49
Shreveport
Member since Jun 2014
19339 posts
Posted on 9/18/16 at 8:01 pm to
I've never had ants mess with my feeder ... Until this year. I hang the feeder from a shepherds hook that is stuck in the ground. No matter where I put it, the ants sniff it out and get in it. We've had a ton of ants in general this year.

I put some Ortho poison at the base one time, and that seemed to slow them down.
Posted by BiggerBear
Redbone Country
Member since Sep 2011
2983 posts
Posted on 9/18/16 at 8:02 pm to
My numbers were doing good until I left town and the feeders went dry. Had 50-100 and numbers were growing. I'm back up to about 20 or so right now.
Posted by weadjust
Member since Aug 2012
15385 posts
Posted on 9/18/16 at 8:04 pm to
You need an ant guard. I made one out of 2 liter coke cap. They say to use water in the moat. I use cooking oil. The oil eventually dries out and is sticky as one of those mouse glue traps. Ants no more and don't have to add any oil.



Some feeders have a built in ant moat. Fill #4 in the pic with cooking oil and you will be good to go.





This post was edited on 9/18/16 at 8:08 pm
Posted by Da Hammer
Folsom
Member since May 2008
5838 posts
Posted on 9/18/16 at 8:25 pm to
last few years have been better and better for us. Have no way to count them but we have quite a few, of course my wife loves feeding them and I can't even tell you how many feeders we have at the moment!
Posted by tigerfoot
Alexandria
Member since Sep 2006
57920 posts
Posted on 9/19/16 at 11:18 am to
Prob 5 or 6 around today, hard to tell cause I got two mean little males that swoop in on anything that comes around em. I am irrationally mad at them and their bad attitude.
Posted by SportTiger1
Stonewall, LA
Member since Feb 2007
29563 posts
Posted on 9/19/16 at 11:44 am to
Well thats a damn good idea.
Posted by Tigris
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Member since Jul 2005
12634 posts
Posted on 9/19/16 at 3:06 pm to
Perky Pet makes an ant guard that works well too and is pretty cheap at Amazon.



It has either insect killer or repellent inside that the ants would have to cross. They don't.

I've now got 8 hummingbirds on my feeder outside my office. Earlier in the year I would only have a few sightings a day but my house was new and they were learning where the feeders were. Hummingbirds do nest near feeders and the young often return to breed where they were born so over a few years the numbers can go up after you start feeding them. The birds now are mostly migrants from further north, though.

Posted by Clyde Tipton
Planet Earth
Member since Dec 2007
39025 posts
Posted on 9/19/16 at 3:20 pm to
I've been running the 3 feeders. I've had 2 or 3 regulars all summer. About a month ago it went to 8 to 10. It dwindled back down to 2 or 3 the last 2 weeks.

A buddy across town sent me a video of them going wild at his mom's place yesterday.

I think what I had has moved on, some new ones came through, and now just a few know about the feeders. I've put out a feeder in the past, but this is my first year running multiple ones and keeping the sugar water fresh. I think the longer I stay on it, my spot will become a more established stop.
Posted by TaserTiger
Houston
Member since Dec 2008
391 posts
Posted on 9/21/16 at 2:37 am to
Hi - I love hummingbirds.

I feel the best way I can contribute to this excellent thread is to link a similar hummer thread earlier this year from late April - late July:

LINK /

Simply amazing birds. I know you will love the thread. Enjoy.
Posted by CypressTrout10
Louisiana
Member since Jun 2016
3043 posts
Posted on 9/21/16 at 8:37 am to
What's the ratio for the sugar water yall make?
Posted by AlxTgr
Kyre Banorg
Member since Oct 2003
82973 posts
Posted on 9/21/16 at 8:44 am to
I have been using 1 cup mix to 4 cups water. But my numbers suck, so maybe I'm doing it wrong.
Posted by BFIV
Virginia
Member since Apr 2012
8031 posts
Posted on 9/21/16 at 8:51 am to
Mine here in the mountains have already left and headed south.
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