keeping the hummers happy and the hornets away

As the summer progresses, the hummingbirds are more frantic about sipping as much nectar as possible so they can gather their strength for the long migration ahead. Their acrobatics as they confront their rivals and their constant cheeping is fearsome.  I'm just glad they are as small as they are - they would be pretty scary if they were bigger. 

Caring for a hummingbird feeder is fraught with problems.  The ant moat on top is filled with soapy water and is supposed to capture the ants that want some of that sweet stuff.  But they get into the feeder anyways, and end up drowning. And don't get me started on the racoons, who also like sugar water and have even unscrewed the feeder to get every last drop.

Our strong winds often push the feeder sideways, which spills the nectar and attracts even more ants.  I came up with the bright idea of tying the feeder to the railing with shoe laces, which is a bit inconvenient, but stops the endless swaying.   

By August, the ants were joined by hornets of every size who also wanted some sugar water.  I tried making a fake hornet next with a paper bag, but it didn't scare them at all.  Then I thought about making a trap.  I poured sugar water into a plastic container, set it under the feeder, and voila!  the hornets and many of the ants made a bee-line for it, and ended up drowning, while the feeder became safe for the hummers.

When I clean out the feeder, there are far fewer dead bodies now.  This used to be chock-full of dead hornets, and now there are just a few ants.