I'm no expert, and as I've said before I don't like my hummer feeders as they are really hard to clean .... but, that said ...

Ants are a bit of a problem - one of my feeders is on a shepherds hook, the other is off the sunroom overhang, fully ten feet up and a long, convoluted route for the ants .... but that one is the most susceptible to the bugs. Go figure! The hummers don't seem to mind - only time I realize I have ants is when I clean them.

There are 'ant cups' - water filled and designed to be installed over the hummer feeders. I haven't taken that route - ants aren't that big a problem for me or my hummers.

You might want to scrutinize your feeders more - some drip and leak and send a heads up to the ants. Took me a few seasons to get feeders that didn't leak. None are perfect, but with a bit of trial and error, I'll bet you can outsmart the ants!

Also not an expert but my parents gave me a bell last year that is made to keep out ants. The instructions say to coat the inside of the bell with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. I have NO problems on this feeder at all with ants. My other feeder has a built in moat at top and that works well too...as long as I remember to fill it occasionally.

check out what comes up if you google
Humming Bird Feeder Ant-Off Ant Guard Bell

Mine looks just like this one.

Meredith

I have a round feeder with a cup in the middle to fill with water to keep ants out. It opens completely like a covered bowl, so cleaning is very easy. I got my feeder at the Wild Bird Center at Eastgate Shopping Center in Chapel Hill. It has a perch all around and the hummers love to sit there and take their time. I have one on a shepherd's hook and one under the eave at the garden gate.

Cameron

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I did a google search and found some remedies.
Zigzag...Never thought about the spilled nectar when I fill the feeders. I'll fill them at my potting table sink THEN bring them to the hooks.
Meredith...love the bell. Gotta get one of those.
Cameron....Chapel Hill is too far for me to go but I'll keep a lookout for a feeder with the cup.
I just cleaned and refilled my feeders and the one on the dogwood was the worst. The others on the shepherd hooks didn't seem to have many ants or maybe they haven't found them yet.
Great ideas and I appreciate you guys taking the time to help me out!
Evelyn

The cup thing worked fine for us, but the hummers were so aggressive that they spilled the liquid, and then we had ants on the deck flooring...no hummer feeders anymore. I have tried to plant annuals on the deck that they like, so I still get to see them up close. We have other plants in the yard that they like, and I know they have plenty to eat around here.

Does anyone else have a problem with (or better yet, a solution for) squirrels going after hummingbird feeders? The squirrels in my yard have destroyed three plastic feeders and they drink the nectar out of the glass and metal one as fast as I can put it out there. I have never had this happen before, and I'm at a loss.

Wow, Catc - that's a new one on me! I'll lay claim to most of N. Raleigh's squirrels nuisance factor, but they have never even given a second look at the hummer feeders. Perhaps yours are dripping nectar and enticing them? Besides that ...... I dunno !

Btw, fwiw, I have two other feeders the squirrels totally ignore (they're hung off a timber retaining wall, impossible to squirrel proof)- one is a seed feeder stocked w/pure safflower seed, the other a finch feeder stocked w/pure niger seed. Seems the tree rats don't like the menu - both seeds are a bit pricier, but cheaper in the long run as the rodents aren't emptying them daily. Just an fyi -

Mixing Tabasco sauce better than half-and-half with oil and smearing it on the feeders and on the approaches to the feeders MIGHT put them off. It shouldn't hurt the Hummers. Just be SURE to wash carefully after applying it or handling the feeder - you do NOT want to get this stuff near your eyes!

Catc, are you actually seeing the squirrels, or is this happening at night? If raccoons find the feeders they will empty them also, but usually only at night. Only solution we found was bring them in overnight. Dang squirrels are destructive; they have been eating my newly planted camellia bushes and digging up flowers...and I even give them their OWN feeder!

Catc, I have the same problem with the tree rats tearing up my feeders too they chew up the yellow flowers on them.
they have already destroyed 3 so far this spring.

jeeper

I see the little monsters hanging on the feeders and chugging down the nectar - I think it's payback. I got a bird feeder that they can't get into and they turned to the hummingbird feeders instead. The sad thing is that the hummers still show up looking hopeful. I may try the Tabasco sauce trick.