One of the smallest and most elusive types of birds, the hummingbird is such a joy to attract to your backyard with feeders. These little birds are fast enough that you may never see them fully when they whizz by, but with feeders in position to attract them, you can get a closer look at their beauty. Hummingbird nectar is easy enough to make; these birds have high metabolisms and need a lot of energy, so a high-calorie sugar-water mixture works best.

Unfortunately, the ants can love your sugar-water mixture just as much as the birds. You can pick up ant-proof hummingbird feeders online to help you (and the birds) out. Here is a look a why it's important to keep insects out of your hummingbird feeders.

Ants can clog up your hummingbird feeders. 

It can be a huge nuisance to go out to your newly filled feeders and find that they are covered in ants inside and out. The problem with this is, the ants can clog up the small holes that the hummingbirds go to in order to feed. After a try or two, the birds will likely stop visiting the feeder because they see they can't get anything from it. Ant-proof hummingbird feeders are designed to keep the ants from ever making their way onto the feeder so they can't actually get inside it either. 

Ants can consume a lot of your nectar. 

Nectar may not be all that expensive to make, but if you have several feeders and live in an area where the hummingbird population is high, you can be left refilling your feeders every few days. Ants can consume a lot of the nectar you are making for your birds, and once they discover the easy source of food, they will show up in droves. Investing in ant-proof hummingbird feeders can help ensure the nectar you are buying or making is actually getting to the birds and not the ants. 

Ants can deter the hummingbirds from even coming to the feeders. 

Even though the nectar is definitely attractive to hummingbirds, these little birds are ever-cautious about things that look out of the way. If you have a ton of ants crawling all over your feeders, it can easily send the birds off in another direction. Ant-proof hummingbird feeders prevent ants from climbing up into the feeder where they are easily visible to the birds. 

If you're interested in buying an ant proof hummingbird feeder online, start looking today to find the right style for your home.