How to Keep Ants Away From Bird Cage?

we all have to deal with the nuisance pests like ants in the bird cage because these tiny insects can get inside through small spaces to access food.

How to Keep Ants Away From Bird Cage? You can keep ants away from bird cages by making boundaries of powdered charcoal, cornmeal, and cayenne pepper. Use a vacuum cleaner, petroleum jelly, and masking tape to remove dirt and debris or make surfaces slippery and sticky. Put water moats under the cage, spray soapy water to clean and disinfect surfaces, and use boric acid bait to kill them.

It is challenging to keep ants away from a bird cage because they find many things attractive inside and make every possible effort to reach there.

One primary step is to seal the entry points and block their passages by caulking the holes. Additionally, you can sprinkle cornmeal powder to keep them out of the cage.

Powdered charcoal

It is an effective ant-killing substance that can help get rid of mild infestations within the bird cage. This porous carbon takes only a few minutes to kill or repel them according to usage.

You can use it as a spray by crushing a few pieces of charcoal and mixing the powder in water to make a solution and spray directly on them.

In addition, you can make a boundary around the bird cage by spreading a thick line of powdered charcoal in its periphery that is almost 5 to 6 mm wide.

This method works well if you use it on a dry surface, as the effectiveness of powdered charcoal gets reduced on a wet surface, particularly after rain.

Diatomaceous earth powder

A food-grade diatomaceous earth powder can kill ants efficiently because it absorbs moisture from their bodies, even if only a small amount of powder gets attached to them.

It is commonly used to make repelling barricades for pests and keeps them far from your birds. It is safe for birds and mammals but can cause excessive insect dehydration.

Moreover, it can extract moisture from their exoskeleton, leading to quick drying of their outer shell and, ultimately, death. You can make a thick line around the cage to keep insects at bay.

Spread cayenne pepper 

Cayenne pepper is an effective repellent for ants as it can act as a barrier to their undesired entries within the bird cage due to its nature. In addition, this pepper has an intense aroma and spicy taste.

The smell receptors of insects get irritated when they detect the smell of pepper in front of them. This strong odor can confuse them about movement direction by wiping out chemical cues.

Moreover, cayenne pepper’s odor dominates the pheromones and disrupts their trails. Spread the powder around the cage and ensure the birds do not access it.

In addition, you can also use red pepper or chili powder to get rid of these insects and protect your pets from their throbbing bites and deadly stings.

Use vacuum cleaner

You can remove ant colonies from the bird cage by cleaning the floor until every insect disappears. You have to make extra efforts to remove the tiny insects that hide in narrow spaces.

Remove the birds from the cage when you find a few crawling insects close to the food trays, water bowls, or even at the hidden corners to clean the floor properly.

In addition, take everything out of the cage as these tiny crawling pests can hide behind objects easily and create problems later. Clean the surface using a vacuum cleaner and wipe out debris.

Clean and wash the objects before placing them back into their place. It is better to spray a 50% vinegar solution diluted in water to repel them away and then put the birds back in the cage.

Apply masking tape or Vaseline

You can get benefit from the fact that ants cannot walk on sticky and slippery surfaces as their tiny feet cannot support their walk and make them fall.

Put the cage on a wooden support and use double-sided tape or masking tape on the legs of the cage by keeping the sticky surface on the outer side.

This sticky tape works great and keeps these insects at a distance, as they can easily detect this death plot and prefer to stay away from it.

In addition, you can also apply Vaseline or petroleum jelly on the cage legs to make the surfaces slippery for these tiny insects. They cannot maintain a stable position on the slippery platforms.

They cannot climb to reach the birds’ cage and fall back to the ground even after multiple efforts. This is an affordable method to choose when you want to get rid of nuisance pests.

Put water trays under the bird cage

Ants are not good at swimming through water but can float and reach the corner as they have lighter bodies. However, they avoid stepping into the water due to the risk of drowning.

Accordingly, you can put shallow trays under all legs of the cage and fill them with water. This moat can help reduce the risk of attack from these tiny insects.

However, you have to change the water frequently to avoid the risk of germs that can contaminate the environment.

This method can help you resist unwanted entries, but some floating insects can create a problem, so you can combine them with tapes to get better results.

Use boric acid bait

Boric acid act as a poison for ants that takes more time but can kill whole colonies due to a slower mode of action. It remains inside the insect’s stomach and reacts after a few days.

You can use boric acid to prepare an effective bait against these insects by mixing it in sugar. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar in one cup of water and put it on the flame until it gets boiled properly.

After that, add a full spoon of boric acid when it gets cooled down completely. Pour the solution into a glass jar or a canister and add cotton balls to absorb the solution.

Put the lid on the container after making small holes in the lid, and place the container close to the cage. Sugar attracts pests inside the container that will die due to poison toxicity in 1 or 2 days.

Use soapy solution

You can prepare a soapy solution to kill ants invading the birdcage and avoid the risk of attacks on your pets. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of dishwashing soap in 1 cup of water and mix well.

Transfer the solution to a bottle and spray it directly on ant trails moving towards the cage to drown them. In addition, you can pour the solution into shallow trays to put them under cage legs.

Accordingly, it can help avoid floating insects that can somehow reach the cage by floating on water and ensure the birds’ safety.

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