"Cant" Ant & Bee Repellent
To deter ants I've been using Cant Ant & Bee Repellent for some time now. It is simple to use; just wipe a little on your hummingbird pole and the ants won't cross it. Cant's ingredients include peppermint oil, rosemary oil, lemongrass oil, and cinnamon oil all mixed together with castor oil as its base ingredient.
It just so happens that ants don't like the smell this combination produces. It also doesn't take much of the product to make it effective. Just pour a little on a paper towel and wipe it onto your hummingbird pole.
It also turns out that the peppermint, and cinnamon oils in Cant also deter bees.
This is great, since just this morning there were 2 yellow jackets on my hummingbird feeder. My solution to the bees was, I just tipped a couple small drops of Cant onto my finger and placed them on the feeder. While placing the Cant on the feeder I took care not to get any on the hummingbird feeding ports. I don't want any chance of a hummingbird consuming any of these oils. Place a few very small drops between the ports.
It's the smell of the ingredients making up the Cant that is deterring the bees, not the oil itself. You don't need to put a lot down, just a small dab.
Next time you have bee or ant problems try getting a small bottle of Cant at Amazon. You'll be glad you did. Click Here for Amazon Pricing.