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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - i want to build a bat house

Posted: 7/25/2014 4:26:49 AM EDT

any tips on design? how do i gets bats?

Posted: 7/25/2014 4:35:53 AM EDT

[#1]

Tag, was just talking to the wife about this.

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Posted: 7/25/2014 4:41:30 AM EDT

[#2]

the one built at school very large... was suspended on 4 poles and probably 20+ feet off the ground to the bottom (so kids couldn't reach it), sheet steel roof....series of parallel sheets of plywood with about 2" spacing (20 or more sheets) close spaced saw cuts on surface to add texture...each flat surface of the plywood was charred with a torch to get rid of volatile odors...still took several months before any bats appeared

we had bats get into our building, and perceived a health hazard if kids handled them... my classroom had small cup sinks, and probably 6 or so were found there... the sink was so narrow and deep, they couldn't echo locate to get out...

Posted: 7/25/2014 4:58:48 AM EDT

[#3]

A great place to start if Bat Conservation International. They have TONS of info, free plans, etc.

http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/install-a-bat-house.html

Plans for various styles of bat houses:
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/install-a-bat-house/subcategory/617.html

Tips for attracting bats:
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/bathouses/attractingbats.pdf

My wife and I have worked with several people to help them get their bat houses up and moving (I am an environmental scientist, she is a state naturalist). Start with the BCI info, and please feel free to ask questions.

P.S. Thank you for deciding to help bats and put up a bat house. With White Nose Syndrome killing off entire populations of bats across the country, they really are worth their weight in gold these days.

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:11:37 AM EDT

[#4]

I built a house two years ago. I put it up on the side of my garage (about 14' up) and have yet to have a bat move in. There are plenty of bats in my area, even have had to catch a few in the attic and let them outside, but they don't seem to want to move into the house I built. I used plans from the MN DNR.

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:24:56 AM EDT

[#5]

from what i am seeing most of these "kits" are made with cedar, then they say the cedar must air out for 2 years before bats will move in. WTF? why use cedar if that is the case?

the bat tubes look interesting too.

i have seen a few in my area so i know they are around. don't know much about them but i figure anything willing to eat mosquitoes is a good thing to have around

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:29:10 AM EDT

[#6]

Quote History

Quoted:
I built a house two years ago. I put it up on the side of my garage (about 14' up) and have yet to have a bat move in. There are plenty of bats in my area, even have had to catch a few in the attic and let them outside, but they don't seem to want to move into the house I built. I used plans from the MN DNR.

View Quote

Sadly there is not much we can do to "force" bats into a bat house. They kind of have to find it on their own and then it takes off from there.
Your height is correct to give them some drop to spread their wings to fly as they come down out.
Is there a water source nearby?
In the evenings, they will drop out of the house and they will circle a bit then immediately go find a water source. Both for water which they need after a long day in a 100+ degree box and to start feeding for the night.

I think they recommend cedar because it will repel bugs and it will last a long time in the elements. Typically we don't make them out of cedar, just your standard pine/plywood.

Posted: 7/25/2014 6:49:33 AM EDT

[#7]

We got ours at Menards. They sell them by the bird feeders.

Posted: 7/25/2014 7:23:08 AM EDT

[#8]

TBS, talk with your local scout troops and see if any of them are selling bat houses. It's been a few years, but when I was in Scouting I knew some troops that did exactly that.

Are you looking to deal with a bug problem? If you are, do you have enough open space for some dipper gourds for Purple Martins? They have very particular nesting requirements, but are great to have around:

http://www.purdue.edu/wildlife/homeowners/backyard/martins1.pdf

Posted: 7/25/2014 7:49:12 AM EDT

[#9]

there's easier ways to get ingredients for home made black powder... just sayin

Posted: 7/25/2014 8:11:26 AM EDT

[#10]

Bats like it hot....neighbors had them move in under their barrel tiles on their roof. They things could seriously live in the heat of the day between the tiles and the plywood in south Florida.

Posted: 7/25/2014 8:39:04 AM EDT

[#11]

Just curious but what is the attraction here...maybe from an S&P standpoint or as a homeowner?? Are these seen as future food? Insect control? Perimeter alarms of some sort?

...bat cave checklist??

I had one stuck in my stove pipe last year. Once I took the pipe apart the little thing looked terrified. I took it out and it flew away pretty quick!

Thanks

-Emt1581

Posted: 7/25/2014 9:10:48 AM EDT

[#12]

Bats are a pretty vital source of insect control as well as pollination for various plants.

For example a single little brown bat can eat about 1000 mosquitos an hour.
Do you like rumtequila? The primary pollinator for the agave plant is a bat.
Check the Bacardi logo out too - it is a bat (fruit bats in the factory were considered a good omen on Cuban culture).

A large colony in a bat box can hold a couple hundred individuals (even closer to 1000 in some cases). That is a lot of mosquitos.....

Posted: 7/25/2014 9:58:55 AM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Bats are a pretty vital source of insect control as well as pollination for various plants.

For example a single little brown bat can eat about 1000 mosquitos an hour.
Do you like rum? The primary pollinator for the agave plant is a bat. Check the Bacardi logo out - it is a bat.

A large colony in a bat box can hold a couple hundred individuals (even closer to 1000 in some cases). That is a lot of mosquitos.....

View Quote

Alright, so it's about insect reduction.

Thanks

-Emt1581

Posted: 7/25/2014 10:02:52 AM EDT

[#14]

I wouldn't mount it too close to the house...

Keep in mind that *any* contact with a live bat (even presumed non-bite "it bumped into me while flying" warrants a rabies vaccination.

Posted: 7/25/2014 3:19:32 PM EDT

[#15]

Quote History

Quoted:
Bats are a pretty vital source of insect control as well as pollination for various plants.

For example a single little brown bat can eat about 1000 mosquitos an hour.
Do you like rum? The primary pollinator for the agave plant is a bat. Check the Bacardi logo out - it is a bat.

A large colony in a bat box can hold a couple hundred individuals (even closer to 1000 in some cases). That is a lot of mosquitos.....

View Quote

WUT?

Rum = molasses or straight sugarcane juice
Tequila = Agave

Yes, long nosed bats are the primary pollinator of the agave plant but the bat on the Bacardi Rum bottle is inspired by fruit bats that lived in the original Bacardi distillery building.

Posted: 7/25/2014 3:33:04 PM EDT

[#16]

Got my drinks messed up, sorry about that - you are correct. Agave = tequila with bats as the primary pollinators.

Some research into the Bacardi logo, correct on that one as well - fruit bats in the factory as a good omen, hence the logo.

Sorry about the misinformation.

Posted: 7/25/2014 3:39:35 PM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
Bats like it hot....neighbors had them move in under their barrel tiles on their roof. They things could seriously live in the heat of the day between the tiles and the plywood in south Florida.

View Quote

Good tip.

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:14:03 PM EDT

[#18]

We do a lot of bat removal. They are a serious health risk in or on your home. Even the guano is cause for concern. Plus as mammals they also bring in mites, fleas, and bat bugs (which are almost identical to bed bugs).

Some of the major species also have separate male and female colonies. They have been known to roost in multiple locations depending on range and food source so you could have them for a few weeks and they can disapear for a while.

The very best bat box I have seen mimics the gable vents on a house. Since that is one of the most common places we see them get into a home.

I have been told that the higher you hang it in a tree the more likely they are to find it.

(I wouldn't recommend hanging it on your house)

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:17:30 PM EDT

[#19]

Quote History

Quoted:
We do a lot of bat removal. They are a serious health risk in or on your home. Even the guano is cause for concern. Plus as mammals they also bring in mites, fleas, and bat bugs (which are almost identical to bed bugs).

Some of the major species also have separate male and female colonies. They have been known to roost in multiple locations depending on range and food source so you could have them for a few weeks and they can disapear for a while.

The very best bat box I have seen mimics the gable vents on a house. Since that is one of the most common places we see them get into a home.

I have been told that the higher you hang it in a tree the more likely they are to find it.

(I wouldn't recommend hanging it on your house)

View Quote

Holy bat shit! Sounds like nailing a bat house to the BG's house is the way to go after reading that! From bugs to diseases they sound like flying time bombs!!

-Emt1581

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:20:33 PM EDT

[#20]

Timely and relevant thread with good info. Thanks!

Posted: 7/25/2014 5:21:59 PM EDT

[#21]

I learn something here every day .

Posted: 7/26/2014 4:48:34 AM EDT

[#22]

i have about an acre of land and i plan to put it on the back side of the property next to a wood line. everything i have read says not to use a tree as it needs 7+ hours of direct sunlight everyday.

where i hope to place it there is virtually no human traffic except my lawnmower once a week and i wouldn't be mowing under it. we get a good bit of rain here as well so i suspect during the spring and summer when they are active the smell shouldn't be terribly bad at the house.

Posted: 7/26/2014 5:19:06 AM EDT

[#23]

Quote History

Quoted:

I wouldn't mount it too close to the house...

Keep in mind that *any* contact with a live bat (even presumed non-bite "it bumped into me while flying" warrants a rabies vaccination.

View Quote View All Quotes

View All Quotes

Quote History

Quoted:

I wouldn't mount it too close to the house...

Keep in mind that *any* contact with a live bat (even presumed non-bite "it bumped into me while flying" warrants a rabies vaccination.

Quoted:

We do a lot of bat removal. They are a serious health risk in or on your home. Even the guano is cause for concern. Plus as mammals they also bring in mites, fleas, and bat bugs (which are almost identical to bed bugs).

.....

(I wouldn't recommend hanging it on your house)

10 years ago I used to be a member of a caving club and we would cave in New Mexico and did projects for the BLM. I have had hundreds of bats run into me several times, even into my face, and I have been hip deep wading in fresh/aged guano several times. I even burned down a rope once and did some cave surveying the next day with open blisters on my hands where we were wading in guano and guano was on everything in the cave. I guess I was lucky that I never got sick from any of it.

While I do agree that there are risks, everything in life has risk. I suggest that folks treat bats and bat guano as you would anything that you don't want your pets and children getting into. I am currently emailing with a regional bat conservation group to find out if we have enough bat traffic that it would be worthwhile to build something on my 10 acres that would provide shelter for as many as possible.

Posted: 7/26/2014 5:39:25 AM EDT

[#24]

I have a bat house here in Florida. Its a nursery colony bat house
I got the plans from Bat Conservation International. Under 20 bucks for the book
It took almost 4 years for the bats to find it.
There is no real way to attract them to it. They just have to find it.
It helps if you know you have bats in the area to begin with.
I have had around 400 bats at most and now down to just over 100 or so.
I had a video on you tube "bats in the AM". Its a very bad video taken many years ago. Poor quality camera.

I have a couple hundred bucks in the house.

They have babies up in the house twice a year. Some fall out, don't mess with them, you can't save the little ones.
If you find one on the ground(adult) it too is usually either sick or rabid, do not touch.
That being said, I pick them up using heavy welders gloves so my dogs don't get them.

My neighbors love me.

Posted: 7/26/2014 5:45:11 AM EDT

[#25]

More on bat houses....

Homemade or store bought houses don't do nearly as good mounted to trees and on the sides of buildings as free standing houses do.

Mount at least 15 feet up if not a bit more. A good water supply with in a quarter mile is also recommended.

I actually joined Bat Conservation International about 9 hears ago. Get a magazine quarterly and sticker...lol.

The bats are one of those indicator species. If bats do well, I guess we do well . They do pollinate and help farmers with pest issues like moths that will eat crops.

I am on my way out ton an job interview, but I'll check back if you have any specific questions in a few hours.

Monkey

Posted: 8/13/2014 4:53:48 PM EDT

[#26]

The wife and I just got done counting the bats this evening. 138 or 139 total.
They drop out 2 or 3, sometimes 5 or 10 at a time, but tonight they were steady 2 or so each drop.
Most of the bats are Mexican Freetail Bats.(Probably here illegally )

But tonight I saw 2 that were noticeably larger. Like 1.5 times the size of the free tail bats.
That is kind of rare, the house I built was specifically built as a nursery colony.
Nursery, mainly only females and their pups. I have seen some videos on YouTube
where researchers catch multiple species in a bat box. They usually get all excited when this happens.

Posted: 8/14/2014 7:29:52 AM EDT

[#27]

I'd love one for insect control. Some afternoons, my back yard is uninhabitable due to the bloodsuckers. It sounds like I don't have enough space for one, though. Anything far enough from the house is well within the trees.

Posted: 8/14/2014 10:08:35 AM EDT

[#28]

He have uh, had, a bat 'house' on the balcony to our BR.

Recently we were on the balcony watching some great lightning storms and had the sliding screen door open even after we went to bed.

My SO had to get up and go to the BR later and excitedly told me there's something in the waste can making a clicking sound and crawling around on the bottom. I told her to get it and take it outside, she said no way.

So I went and looked and it was a bat on the bottom, so I took another identical WB and set it on the first.

The next day she comes and says there's a whole bunch of bats in the roll-up curtains on the balcony.

Uh-oh...

So I go out and sure enough, they've made a home all lined up maybe a dozen or two inside the roll.

We carefully lowered the curtains and they started flying out, like planes off an aircraft carrier. Some flew off the bacony, other were inside and flying and one hit me on the hand. It felt kind of funny but was prolly psychological.

Finally they all escaped and hopefully found a new home nearby.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - i want to build a bat house

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