Using hummingbird feeders with a mixture of sugar and water can be very effective in attracting hummingbirds. Sometimes, however, the feeders attract unwanted visitors.

Ants

Ants can quickly contaminate a feeder solution and make the it very unattractive to hummingbirds. Fortunately, this problem is easily solved. The first and easiest technique, though not always the most effective, is to coat the hanging wire or pole with a spray (such as Pam®) or oil. This takes advantage of ants' aversion to walking on certain substances, including oils and water. One can also buy an "ant moat" at most bird supply stores. The conventional use of the moat is to insert it between feeder and hanging hook, and then fill it with water. In hot, dry climates, this may require frequent refilling. Alternatively one can smear a coating of oil or grease on the inside moat surface and accomplish the same thing, with no need to refill regularly. Finally, a commercial ant trap is available under the name "AntGuard" which in our experience does an excellent job, being inserted between feeder and hanging hook like the ant moat. The ant trap is not really a trap; like the moat it relies on having an internal surface which ants will not walk across. Ant moats and ant traps are relatively inexpensive and very effective.

One can also construct a home-made ant moat by using the plastic cap from a spray can, punching a hole in it to allow it to slide on the hanging rod for the feeder, and smearing it with oil or grease.

Bees and Wasps

This is a more serious problem, because in addition to contaminating the homemade nectar in the feeder, bees and wasps can be very competitive and able to keep hummingbirds from feeding. There are also documented cases of hummingbirds being stung and even killed by the stings.

Commonly it is suggested that spraying the bee guards over the ports with Pam® or similar substance will keep bees and wasps away, but rarely is this technique effective, or at least not for long.

There is a technique, however, that is regularly used by many and found to be very successful. Always have at least two feeders, with different concentrations of homemade nectar. Although the standard recipe is for 4 cups of water and 1 cup of sugar (4:1), make up a 5:1 ratio in one of the feeders (this one is for the hummingbirds). The other feeder should contain a mixture with a 3:1 (or if necessary, 2:1) ratio, and this is for the bees and wasps. The insects have a very strong preference for rich, high-sugar mixtures and will quickly determine that they want the second feeder. This leaves the first feeder virtually free for the hummingbirds, who will be quite satisfied with a 5:1 ratio.

Once the bees and wasps have settled in on the second feeder (which will usually take only a few hours), you can safely move that feeder to another location; the bees and wasps will follow it.

Bats

In parts of the Southwestern US, some bat species have such a taste for the sugar water that they can empty a feeder in a single night. The only solution is either to bring in the feeders or to cover them at night. If this technique is used, the feeders MUST be made available again at sunrise as soon as the hummers begin to feed. When a hummingbird awakens from sleep or torpor, it is ravenously hungry, able to consume 25% of its body weight in the first feeding of the day. You don't want to make your birds wait until 9 a.m. if they've been up since 5:30 a.m.!

Animals

Less commonly, animals are known to raid feeders. These include squirrels, raccoons, opossums and bears. The only solution here is to suspend the feeder in a manner and place as to be unaccessible to the animal. As anyone knows who has tried to keep squirrels from bird seed feeders, this can be a challenging task.