Ruby-throated hummingbirds are back on PEI, and the first one arrived in our yard on May 8. They are beloved summer residents, adding zip and zing to our summers and then heading south again the first or second week of September.

I have two feeders for them (three, really, as I have an extra one to replace one that is being cleaned). The sugar water they drink also attracts ants, who motor up and down the ropes the feeders hang from, many of the little souls drowning in the feeder wells. Hanging hummingbird feeder moats that hold water can be purchased to block ants from reaching the feeder.

Or you can make your own for free from some wire and an old spray can lid or something similar. There are a million tutorials online. Poke a hole in the lid, bend a wire hanger into a hook and push it through the hole, and seal and glue the hanger in place. I made some over 10 years ago and they are still saving ants from a sugar-high death.