What is an Ant Moat?

An ant moat keeps ants from crossing on to a surface, most often used on hummingbird feeders to keep the insects away from the sugar water where the birds feed. There are different kinds of ant moats and each is effective in doing its job. An ant moat can be ornate in design to disguise its function while adding beauty to the garden and feeder, or the ant moat can be homemade. Ant moats available from retailers offer whimsical design coupled with functionality. One popular ant moat is a small, powder-coated metal, upturned parasol which can be filled with water. The parasol handle ends in a hook for hanging, while the bottom of the parasol also has a hook for attaching the bird feeder. Ants will smell the sugar water and start down the parasol’s handle, only to encounter the water-filled ant moat. There are several variations on this design, but the basic idea is the same. The ant moat sits between the hook and feeder, blocking passage to the feeder. For non-hanging hummingbird ...  more

An ant moat keeps ants from crossing on to a surface, most often used on hummingbird feeders to keep the insects away from the sugar water where the birds feed. There are different kinds of ant moats and each is effective in doing its job. An ant moat can be ornate in design to disguise its function while adding beauty to the garden and feeder, or the ant moat can be homemade. Ant moats available from retailers offer whimsical design coupled with functionality. One popular ant moat is a small, powder-coated metal, upturned parasol which can be filled with water. The parasol handle ends in a hook for hanging, while the bottom of the parasol also has a hook for attaching the bird feeder. Ants will smell the sugar water and start down the parasol’s handle, only to encounter the water-filled ant moat. There are several variations on this design, but the basic idea is the same. The ant moat sits between the hook and feeder, blocking passage to the feeder. For non-hanging hummingbird ...  more

Basically it’s a small device is located between your feeder and wherever it is attached to the house or other hanging support. It is usually cup-shaped, and filled with water. Ants can’t or won’t crawl across water, so the moat prevents them from descending down the line to the feeder. Another option is to find a very sticky substance and apply it to whatever is holding the feeder, for instance the chain or hook. It should be noted that you don’t want to apply just any substance – it needs to be something that doesn’t give off a strong odor that hummingbirds might find repulsive. Keeping ants away is great, but if you also keep away the birds then there’s really no point. Substances like that used on fly paper would be good for this purpose. Another option is to find a very sticky substance and apply it to whatever is holding the feeder, for instance the chain or hook. It should be noted that you don’t want to apply just any substance – it needs to be something ...  more