Hey all, for the past few days I have been putting fresh corn and lettuce in food dishes hooked onto the side of the cage. About an hour later I look and there's ants in the food dish crawling around on the vegies. We have made a bird bath kind of thing and it's a large pot tipped upside down with a dish on top... anyway, because it is hollow underneath the large pot, the ants are building giant ant holes under there . I have read some posts about ants and have read that vinegar is a good ant repellant. I sprayed some of that around the edge of the aviary where I can see ant holes where they must enter. I also squirted some inside the ant holes in the avairy. I looked a few minutes later and they're crawing inside some of the holes that I sprayed. They havent touched the seed or water. Does anyone have some more suggestions that might help? Can the ants harm the birds if they are eaten by a bird? all advice is appreciated . Thanks.

Edited November 25, 200717 yr by Little one

Hey all, for the past few days I have been putting fresh corn and lettuce in food dishes hooked onto the side of the cage. About an hour later I look and there's ants in the food dish crawling around on the vegies. We have made a bird bath kind of thing and it's a large pot tipped upside down with a dish on top... anyway, because it is hollow underneath the large pot, the ants are building giant ant holes under there . I have read some posts about ants and have read that vinegar is a good ant repellant. I sprayed some of that around the edge of the aviary where I can see ant holes where they must enter. I also squirted some inside the ant holes in the avairy. I looked a few minutes later and they're crawing inside some of the holes that I sprayed. They havent touched the seed or water. Does anyone have some more suggestions that might help? Can the ants harm the birds if they are eaten by a bird? all advice is appreciated . Thanks.

 

Hi Little one,

 

I have the exact same problem. Sooooooooooooooooooo annoying!!!! Fresh food and water get covered in ants and nothing seems to work. Someone suggested I got was to use Talcum Powder... sprinkled around the outside of the avairy. I tried that, but then it rained to I'll be trying again and let you know. Are they only comming up from inside, or from outside as well? If comming from outside, you could try and follow where they are originating from and give them a good spray/poison. Inside the avairy is a different thing. Try making their holes really big, then maybe fill with vinegar??? or something else??? then fill in back in really tighly. Don't know if that will work though??? I'll let you know if I come up with anything. I try not to hang/place fruit etc... near their fav resting spots, perhaps a separate food area. That way the ants 'may' keep to the one area. I don't think the ants can hurt the birds if they eat them. They're prob more annoying to us than anything else!!!

Hi, my dad had this issue and after about 2 years of doing everything but bombing the aviry he decided that he would just feed the ants... yes that's right a little way away from the beeding area he put up Ant food they got attracted to that and left the birds alone. After about a week he started to add "Ant Rid" and then so the ants ate that and the numbers reduced but he never got them to go away alltogether

 

Hope that helps

you can get a powder ant repellent to sprinkle around the outside of the aviary... i dont see how it can harm birds if it's far enough away

you could also try putting a tray of water then the dish with your fresh foods in the middle of the tray of water? i dont see them swimming to get to it....

my birds like a tray of water with fresh grasses mixed into it? they bathe and eat at the same time! quite fun to watch also...

or theres always quails... i dont seem to of had any insect in my avairy for months since i've had quails they're cheap as chips too or free if ya want some i had 4 then she had babies so it became 8 after selling some off now i've got another 6 chicks under a hen atm! so if you need any dont hesitate to ask hahaha

Thankyou all, . I'll try all the solutions you've given me!

Thankyou all, . I'll try all the solutions you've given me!

 

 

Hey Little One. I've had some ant success so I thought I'd share it with you. After the ants kiled my newly hatched babies, I decided it was time for war :yelling: , yes, WAR!!!

 

I removed my budgies and re-arranged the avairy, then armed with vinegar, I sprayed everywhere! esp where the little #%&*!@ were getting in (which was like, everywhere), then I used one of the outdoor sprays which also forms a barrer around things. I sprayed aroung the avairy, on the ouside of the walls and even on the roof...

 

So far, so good. They are still 'around' but haven't been on the food and water etc... so fingers crossed. I'm also planning on rigging up a fresh fruit/vegie dish (as suggested by Kaz) it's a dish inside a dish filled with water... hopefully the ants can't get to it and it may last long enough for the birds to acctually eat it. I'll post pics when I get it done.

 

Also, do you happen to get earwigs as well??? They are no where near as annoying as ants, and don't really seem to bother the birds, but pee me off a little as they seem to be multiplying!!!

 

I hope you have had some success in your quest for an ants free avairy. May the 'force be with you' and the ants GONE forever!!! (Laughing out loud)

Edited December 6, 200717 yr by maesie

Maybe you could try pouring boiling water down their holes, that should kill them instantly.

That is a great idea Sailorwolf! Thanks.

 

Thank you to all of you!

Click on the link http://birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww36eii.htm .Provides indtructions on how to get rid of ants. Basically you need to kill the queen the rest of the colony will die out over a shrt time. Tell us how you go.

How is your ant problem going Little One? I'm not sure if you read, but I recently concreted my aviary, and ever since (only a week) I have had no ants in there... I know it hasn't been long, but perhaps they may not come back because they can't climb up from the floor and get my food... I'm hoping this will continue to be the case and the problem will be over (touch wood). I hope you have also found some success.

Thanks maesie, yes, I have also gotten rid of the ants!! My Dad sprayed around the back yard, not near the cage and I haven't seen any lately!! .

that is great