Are plastic Hummingbird feeders bad
Plastic Hummingbird feeders dispense nectar out of accessible port wells, which is all that is important, only this kind of feeder will decay early on.
Nothing an inferior metal/glass Hummingbird feeder can provide what a made in plastic Hummingbird feeder cannot. Negatives may include rapidly withering exterior with a possible change in shape due to wear and tear; only plastic Hummingbird feeders are cheap to replace or upgrade with more.
For many of us we all start out utilizing a plastic Hummingbird feeder in our yards, of which are deemed to be safe by organizations such as Audubon.
And with that there's never been reports of Hummingbirds ingesting plastic particles or any liquid plastic that has bled into the nectar.
Made in plastic Hummingbird feeders are easy to maintain and clean, and will come at little cost if you must replace it due to wear and tear in the future. In fact, I'll bet my house this type of Hummingbird feeder will need replacing within a year or two.
Negative side to specifically made in plastic Hummingbird feeders, is how this still durable material can wither in an outdoor location.
Hummingbird feeders are made for outdoor use of course, but there seems to be nothing we can do to prevent visible signs of wear and tear early on. With the color fading, next comes the Hummingbird feeders body appearing to warp.
And if the joints where the feeder is assembled are effected directly with deforming, then disassembling a feeder for maintenance gets a little bit harder.
Of course this can be delayed or prevented for a long time on a plastic Hummingbird feeder, if its regularly maintained.
Well, OK then maybe plastic Hummingbird feeders aren't good for the environment, yet all the positives will certainly outweigh the negatives.
Can warp, change shape
Best plastic Hummingbird feeders you can buy are really those made available by well known brands, like Perky-Pet and Woodlink.
Only then can we be sure they manufacturer their Hummingbird feeder range in a thicker, more durable plastic resin. Result of that is, a less flimsy Hummingbird feeder that can't warp and deform early on after purchase.
Quality plastic Hummingbird feeders will deform in due course, but you'd expect that to happen two/three years after the feeder has been used.
Hummingbird feeders you're likely to start out with would normally be because they are cheap to buy and disposable, yet will likely begin to decay within the year.
Noticeable signs of a poorly constructed plastic Hummingbird feeder will be how it has changed in shape, which can be the cause of any dripping and continuous leaks.
And with that, the color red will fade and thus the feeder becomes less visible to passing Hummingbirds.
Nectar will be unaffected
What is more important about any cheap or quality Hummingbird feeder really is how it will never effect the quality of the Hummingbird nectar.
Nectar made at home for Hummingbird feeders is a part 1 sugar to a part 4 ratio mix of water.
While this nectar mixture has to be changed out of Hummingbird feeders regularly to avoid poor nectar Hummers will ignore, the plastic reservoir made to store this nectar will not effect the quality.
Once a plastic Hummingbird feeder has been molded and hardened into shape, that is it, there's no reversing of liquid plastic mold.
Never expect melted plastic resin to bleed into this sugar/water mixture of which, will only spoil if its left to go bad for a along period of time.
Unfortunately for made in plastic Hummingbird feeders, as oppose to metal and glass Hummingbird feeders which are better than plastic, the clear plastic dish or inverted tower made to store the nectar, will mist over with the interior plastic decaying.
Cheap to replace, easy to upgrade
Why plastic Hummingbird feeders can only be a good idea in spite of all the negatives, is how easy they're to replace and upgrade at little cost to you.
Now I do recommend you clean the Hummingbird feeder as often as you can with a general soap dish and disinfectant to extend its shelf life - to avoid wastage while making full use of your current plastic feeder.
How cheap a generic plastic Hummingbird feeder are can result in you buying additional Hummingbird feeders, say two or three more, in an effort to attract Hummers to several feeders carefully located around the yard, or grouped together off a bird feeder pole.
With made in glass/metal Hummingbird feeders they will cost more and thus would come at cost if you need to upgrade to a couple of more feeders.
Plastic Hummingbird feeders continue to be a safe Hummingbird feeder to use, along with the benefits of them being cheap to manage.
Conclude
What's really bad about a nectar dispensing device with its only purpose is to provide an easy and effective way to open up fresh, clean nectar to our backyard Hummingbirds.
As long as this plastic Hummingbird feeder is kept in good health, by cleaning and maintaining it for continuous use, any plastic Hummingbird feeder will be hugely beneficial to our Hummers, with no serious issues developing later.
I will say a cheap, flimsy plastic Hummingbird feeder build can result in it deforming early on, but in reality this is going to happen sooner or later to most feeders.
What is more important is how the plastic, be it soft or hard, cannot effect the nectar quality, because only unchanged nectar that has spoiled can then go on to effect Hummers that ingest it... so that one will be on you if its allowed to ever happens.
Plastic Hummingbird feeders can turn to filth and decay like glass/metal Hummingbird feeders, and so its important to keep it in good health by cleaning it regularly.
As a bonus, with no harm coming to Hummers who feed out of plastic feeders, at least the far cheaper plastic Hummingbird feeders can be replaced if they do decay early on, while there's an opportunity to add more to the collection in an effort to attract more birds.
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