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#1
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Bacon Grease and Bird Feeder
Does anyone know if it's o.k. to line an Oriole Bird Feeder with bacon grease?
A new style feeder I made has an open bottom and am finding this new one has turned out to be an ant haven. (picture below....) I was thinking of placing a jar lid filled with bacon grease inside the bottom of the feeder sitting on the post. I was also going to cover the underside of the plastic container that the Orioles eat out of so if the ants try to climb up and in, they would hopefully slip back down onto the post. There shouldn't be any bacon grease exposure to the orioles but if the ants bring it into the jelly, will this harm them? Note to self....make another feeder like the old ones.
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A dog wags his tail with his heart Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever) Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013 Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel) Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter) |
#2
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Bacon grease might just attract more ants--grease ants this time. I can't get a feel for how big your feeder is... Is the plastic jelly container almost as big as the inside of the feeder? If it is, I'd put a small amount of water in the bottom of the old jelly holder, then put a smaller dish (holding jelly) inside the larger container. The water will act as a moat to keep the ants off the sweets as long as the smaller container doesn't touch the edges of the larger. You don't even need enough water to float the smaller container--as long as water laps up around the bottom on all sides, it'll keep the ants out. Just make sure the water doesn't evaporate during the day...
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"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
#3
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I use bacon grease to make suet, takes a lot of seed!!!
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#4
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O.K....I think I know where you're going with this Hazel! Can you see the smoke over there!?
The jelly container is 3.5" x 3.5". I have a couple of those ceramic melter things that you use for melting butter & dippin lobster. If I put the ceramic dish inside of the plastic container that's filled with water, it would be weighted down enough and wouldn't float off to the sides. Now I have to find the butter melters and experiment. I think I'm going to make another batch of the old feeders like I made last year, with the base. I didn't have any ant problems with those ones.
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A dog wags his tail with his heart Dogs have Masters--Cats have Staff Rest in Peace Bailey: 12/10/95-1/9/09 (Golden Retriever) Rest in Peace Kitty: 7/1/2000 - 10/7/2013 Rest in Peace Gryphon (sounds like Griffin): 10/15/2004 - 11/18/2017 (English Springer Spaniel) Bella: 3/09/2005 LHD Cat adopted by/from Child Mollie: 6/2/2009 (English Setter) |
#5
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Can you just add a bottom piece to this feeder?
__________________
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do The Spirit Lives As Long As Someone Who Lives Remembers You - Navaho Saying |
#6
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Ants have a nasty habit of remembering where something is--it's those dang trails they put down. A bottom might deter them from finding it as easily, but they'd just end up going over the sides and down at this point.
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
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