Bat Houses
It's becoming popular to try to attract
bats to your property by putting up one or more
bat houses. Of course the primary reason
that people want them is their voracious appetite for
insects. A small colony of bats can consume over
500,000,000 bugs over the course of a years feeding
seasons.
Bats are mammals, but they can fly, and in fact are the only
mammals that can! Generally, bats can see very well, but
becuase they fly in the dark they have the bat "radar" or
"sonar" or echolocation to help them find their way in the
dark.
Attracting bats to your Bat House: Generally
lures for bats have not been found to be effective in
attracting bats to your bat house. Here are a few things that
can help.
Siting your bat house - The location is one
of the most important factors for attracting bats. A bat has
to find the house, so make it available to them by putting it
on a building or a pole. Keep them away from predators, so
not too close to nearby trees. Recall that if you are
successful in attracting bats, you will have an accumulation
of guano and urine under the house, so plan for it ahead of
time.
Temperature - It varies somewhat with the
bat species, but in general a stable temperature of 80 to 100
degrees F is preferred. Males tend to tolerate a wider range
of temperatures, while mothers with young will be more
selective. In order to reduce the swings in temperature over
the course of the year, it may be preferred to use the side
of a building in colder climates to provide some protection
from the elements. Full day sun is often preferred to get
those warm temperatures.
Multiple locations - An easy thing to do is
to install more than one house to help you experiment with
the best locations. It may take more than 2 years for a house
to be occupied, so with more than one house you can improve
the odds of success dramativally.
You can find a lot more on bat houses and the proper siting
and successful techniques to attract bats at
Bat Conservation International.