Getting to Know your Friendly Neighborhood Bats Bat Conservation International
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If you have a pool, add a ramp to give bats a safe way out. Hang your bat house under the eaves of your house or from a tall, flat pole made from pressure-treated lumber. Using a brush and roller, paint the back piece black, from the top edge to the ends of the 1x2s. Using a caulk gun, lay a bead of caulk along the face of the long 1×2. Line it up with the top edge of the larger piece of plywood, and clamp it in place with spring clamps. Using a drill/driver, drive 1-inch deck screws through the 1×2 and into the plywood every 6 inches to hold it in place.
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Having killed millions of bats since 2006, it's now pushing several American species toward extinction. And even without white-nose syndrome, many of the world's bats already suffer from habitat loss, as humans claim key places like hibernacula, feeding grounds or roost trees. It is safe during the day to shine a bright flashlight up into the bat box for around 30 seconds to look for bats.
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Build
A North American study found that bat houses mounted on trees are the least successful and take, on average, twice as long to attract bats even when successful. Bat houses on tree trunks are typically more shaded and are also more vulnerable to predators. To avoid areas of potentially high predation, it’s best to keep bat houses at least 20 feet from the nearest tree limbs or perches.
What Size and Color to Choose
However, if you haven’t seen a bat yet, you can still give it a try. Be sure to drop each piece down from the top (about 1″), leaving just enough space to attach your top cap which prevents water from getting in. We will share the dimensions we used to make ours, just know that yours may turn out slightly different. This is all well and good, provided that everything lines up. Overall, it may take 2-3 years until bats take up residence, so don’t get discouraged too quickly. If you're in an urban area, it'll be harder to spot bats.
Why do you no longer recommend the single chamber bat house?
After studying these flying mammals for awhile now, we set out to create the premier bat house on the market. The number of bat houses needed depends on the local bat population. Bats prefer living in colonies, and several hundred can reside in a single bat house. If you are building a bat house with more than one chamber, bats will prefer roosting spaces of 3/4″ to 1″. Be sure to use a quality caulk to seal joints and cracks to ensure the bat house is free from drafts. If not properly sealed, bats may become uncomfortable and probably will abandon the shelter.
Below we’ll will discuss exactly what it takes to get a colony of bats. Even if a colony isn’t popular where you live, you may still have a very good chance of getting batchelor bats, which is great. Bachelor bats are just that, a few male bats that take up residence on your property.
Use caution when working with bat guano as the fungus Histoplasma capsulatum may grow on it. When this fungus is breathed in, it can cause the respiratory disease histoplasmosis. Bat guano also tends to be shiny because of the large amount of insects they eat.
Attach the two shorter pieces to the sides in the same manner, and caulk the ends where they meet the top piece before you clamp them down. French curves are great for helping you draw the bat wings, but you can also trace cans or cups to make curves of different sizes. When working on this project, keep safety in mind at all times. A jigsaw is better off in adult hands, but kids can help out by caulking, driving screws, attaching the netting, and painting.
Don’t forget to monitor the bat activity
Here's how to entice them into your bat house, and your life. Bats love to roost near fresh water, so look for ponds, rivers, creeks, and streams within 330 yards or a quarter-mile of your backyard. You can also make bat guano tea (liquid fertilizer or foliar spray) by adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of bat poop to one gallon of water. A large maternity colony builds where females birth and nurse their pups.
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Bats are very particular about where they’ll live, and their houses have to be constructed in a specific way that encourages them to nest. The inside of this house is painted black to keep it dark and warm, and the outside is a color that makes it blend in with the surroundings. The space where they go inside the house and roost is only about ¾ inch thick (with a small gap for air circulation). Still, dozens of bats will be able to live in this box and raise their pups. Fragrant flowers, herbs, and night-blooming plants attract nocturnal insects, which will lure bats. Bat gardens are another good provider of insects and roosting sites for bats.
Bats need heat to raise their young, so bat mamas will only put a colony in a bat house that has a lot of natural light from the sun to keep things warm. Also, make sure to not place your bat house near a street light, as bats simply don’t like them. First, you’ll want to place the house high above the ground. However, we’ve found greater success placing the bat house around 15-20’ off of the ground.
It will help keep heat in and rain out, and prolong the life of the structure. Once you've chosen your bat house location and have your structure painted and hung, it's time to look at the future. Maintenance of the house and good health practices are important too.
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