Ants can reach every corner of the garden due to their small size and climbing abilities, and it is not difficult for them to reach a bird’s nest on a tree.
You can find them crawling on the trees when they want to access the fruits, leaves, and birds to consume as a food source.
How to Get Ants Off a Baby Bird? You can get ants off a baby bird by using boric acid and soapy solutions, which create difficulty in digestion and breathing and make them die. Moreover, bay leaves and essential oils can also help deter them due to strong odors. Furthermore, frequent cleaning of nests and hanging bird feeders on the fishing line can help prevent their entry into the nest.
It is common to see a dead bird covered with ants as it is easier to access these tiny creatures due to loss of motion.
However, adult birds have wings that can fly quickly whenever these insects try to sting on their bodies, but baby birds cannot fly due to the absence of wings.
How do you get rid of ants on a baby bird?
You have to get rid of ants on a baby bird to make them survive the deadly stings, and it is pretty easy to target them with insect repellants that do not pose any harm to these birds.
Frequent cleaning of the nest
Ants are attracted to dirty places as there are many chances that they will get food to eat. In the same way, they can reach a bird’s nest in search of food when the feeding trays are not clean.
The grains and seeds are nutritious food for these tiny creatures that can make them reach the nest by smelling food odor.
These roaming insects can get on a baby bird when moving freely inside the nest and can kill them.
You can protect them from these tiny creatures by cleaning the nests frequently, as it can help remove the smell from the nest and keeps them safe.
Boric acid solution spray
A boric acid powder is deadly for the ants and acts as a slow poison that does not kill them instantly. It takes almost 20 to 40 hours to die after consumption of boric acid.
When these insects ingest boric acid powder, it remains inside their stomach and gets transferred to other fellows in a group during the regurgitation and feeding.
Their digestive system gets disrupted and makes them die within 2 days. You can prepare a solution by mixing the boric acid powder with sweet food items like powdered sugar.
After that, add water to make a viscous solution and spray it on the bird as it is considered safe for them and only kills the ants.
Use essential oils
Many essential oils, like peppermint oil or lemongrass oil, can act as good repellents due to their strong odor.
Ants do not like the smell of essential oils that help keep them away from the bird’s nest.
It is easy to leave two or three drops of essential oils close to the bird covered with ants as it takes a few minutes to get off when these insects detect their smell.
In addition, the solution of essential oils can be prepared like you can mix eucalyptus or clove oil in water and spray it on the body of these babies.
It is interesting to watch them moving away in a short time as they do not like the odor of these essential oils.
So, you can use tea tree oil, lemon, and cedar wood oil to get them off the baby bird as they are long-lasting; otherwise, they can sting it badly and are responsible for its death.
Place bay leaves
Bay leaves can help deter ants as they are not good to smell and are not eaten by them.
So, you can get rid of these insects without using chemical sprays that can harm the environment.
These leaves are not harmful to humans and birds as they are edible but are effective against insects. It is good to keep 5 to 6 bay leaves around their nest to restrict ants’ entry.
In addition, you can place them close to a baby bird covered with these tiny insects to make them run away after detecting their smell.
Use Ant sprays or soapy solutions
Some ant sprays can also help get rid of the ants, but be careful while selecting them because a few of these spraying solutions can also kill the birds.
You can also try a soap solution that can be easily prepared by mixing the dish soap in the water. For example, one teaspoon of dish soap is sufficient to be added to a small spraying bottle filled with water.
Spray it on the bodies of bird babies carefully so it does not get into its eyes. It can help wipe out the insects as they get drowned instantly in soapy water.
Furthermore, the soap can clog breathing pores when the solution enters deep inside their skin. It can act as a powerful punch for these insects and makes them move away.
Hanging bird feeders on fishing line
It is better to hang the bird feeders on the fishing line to avoid the entry of ants into the nest. In addition, the fishing line poses a difficulty for these insects to crawl over.
They cannot move on the thin, slippery structure that does not allow them to maintain a grip on it. They have sticky feet that can only help on rough or slightly smooth surfaces.
There are fewer chances of an attack on the baby birds when these insects are not attracted to the feeders.
Furthermore, it can help prevent the entry of Southern fire ants and carpenter ants that are most likely to attack the babies and kill them.
They have to get food from their soft bodies that are not covered with feathers and kill them by multiple stinging efforts from a group of ants when they attack collectively.
What to do if you find a baby bird covered with ants?
You are responsible for rescuing a baby bird when you see it covered with a group of tiny ants. Wash their bodies with water to remove the insects and dry them using a soft towel.
It is not good to put them back in their nests because they give off a particular scent that makes them difficult to be recognized by their mother.
Many bird rehabilitation centers examine the medical condition and care for the wounded and injured birds.
Accordingly, you can take them for medical examination because such babies do not survive for long if they have remained covered with insects for a long time.
You can feed them nutritious food to help them grow well and become adult birds that can fly after the development of wings.
Furthermore, it is better to take care of these babies by yourself instead of putting them inside a nest, as their mother will abandon them.
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