That is need idea. Got my feeders cleaned. Haven't made sugar water yet.But scouts should be coming through soon.

thanks for posting, steve. what is that thing called that you have inserted through the cup? i'll go to lowes and get a few of them. thanks, so much. ;)

Lindalou

Its called a turnbuckle, good luck if you decide to do it.

Does it require some type of sealant or does the turnbuckle self seal?

Mary

Mary

As you can see in the photos after drilling your hole , I used a rubber on each side and tightened as tight as I could. It driped a little at first but then seemed to seal itself and never dripped again.

I did something similar with a saucer feeder that has a screw-in steel rod for a hanger, but I just poked a hole in the bottom and rammed the rod through the cup. But since it wouldn't hold water, I smeared the inside of the bottom of the cup with a really thick coating (globs) of petroleum jelly. (When I used a thinner coating, it dried and they walked over it.) Most of the ants wouldn't get in the jelly, they just turned around and eventually stopped coming back. It wasn't as nice looking as yours, but it worked and I didn't have to refill it.

The ants haven't found the feeder this year, so I haven't needed to get another cup yet.

Wow very clever I might have to try that

I did something similar too. I used an old 35mm film cantister, or any small medicine cup, put a small hole in the middle. Hung it by string, with a knot tied inside it and outside it, to hold it above the feeder. You can adjust the length from the top and bottom by the length of the string. BUT, I hang the cup upside-down, and a film of petroleum jelly once a year is all that is needed. Stays cleaner looking too.

I should say about my suggestion above, that the cup was deeper than the one pictured and there was no possibility that the birds could get at the petroleum jelly.

My feeder has a water moat but it doesn't work because the heat and wind here dries it out so quickly.