About Bat Houses
Bats are strange-looking, have a lot of negative folklore surrounding them, and pile layers upon layers of guano--bat droppings--in home attics and on cave floors. However, bats also eat mosquitoes, help pollinate flowers and their guano is used as a nutrient-rich fertilizer. In fact, they're so beneficial, you might want to consider encouraging them to stay in your yard by building or buying a bat house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Considerations
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Bats prefer living in a space that ranges between 80 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit, especially in July when they breed and have young ones with them. Painting the roof of the bat house black may help to keep its interior warm.
Description
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Bat houses are built to imitate a bat's natural roost. They are simply plywood boxes that contain vertical wooden slats, each slat separated by space big enough for a bat's small body.
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Placement
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Bat houses should be placed at least 12 to 15 feet above the ground in a sheltered area, out of the wind. A sunny spot clear of obstacles is ideal.
Patience
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If bats haven't shown any interest in the house after the second year, you may want to try moving it to a different spot. Sides of buildings or tall poles are good places to put a bat house.
Potential
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Nursery colonies may contain as many as thirty bats, while a bachelor colony may contain as few as six or seven bats. "Bachelor" bats tend to seek cooler roosts than that of a nursery colony of bats.
Benefits
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One bat alone can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in a hour. Too, because bats eat flowers, they are terrific plant pollinators.
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Resources
- Photo Credit Illustration by Mary Osborne
