Bat Houses

[galmal]

Ok, I know that most people hate bats, but they really are beneficial. They eat all those nasty bugs that we hate when trying to enjoy the great outdoors. Once you get over the "yuck" factor, they're actually quite interesting. I love seeing them come out at dusk, their flight is so different from birds.

My husband wants to build some bat boxes, and has found some plans online. But we haven't been able to find out much about where to place the boxes. How high should they be? Do you hang them from trees, or should they be firmly placed on posts? Do they need to face a certain direction? How do the bats "find" the boxes?

Any help is much appreciated!

 

[claudine]

I'm terrified of bats and I don't know too much about them, but I saw many bat houses in a park near my parents' house. They're placed on tree trunks, at least 15 feet high.

 

[marlingardener]

Bats are so beneficial--they eat mosquitoes at night when the little blood suckers are out, they devour other nasty night-flying insects, their poo is a great fertilizer, and they are quiet!
There are different kinds of bats, so you need to find out what bats are in your area. The orientation and height of the boxes is important.
May I suggest that you get a copy of Beastly Abodes, Home for Birds ,Bats, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife. by Bobbe Needham, which contains plans and instructions for mounting bat boxes and also bird boxes. A used copy is probably available on Alibris. The ISBN is 0-8069-3169-8.

 

[Pat]

Bats are something I never gave much thought to, I know we have bats in our area but I never thought about where they lived. Anything that eats mosquitoes is a good thing to have around in my book. When I hear people talk about bats I think about BatMan not the real thing.

 

[Bandit26]

Bats are so beneficial--they eat mosquitoes at night when the little blood suckers are out, they devour other nasty night-flying insects, their poo is a great fertilizer, and they are quiet!
There are different kinds of bats, so you need to find out what bats are in your area. The orientation and height of the boxes is important.
May I suggest that you get a copy of Beastly Abodes, Home for Birds ,Bats, Butterflies & Other Backyard Wildlife. by Bobbe Needham, which contains plans and instructions for mounting bat boxes and also bird boxes. A used copy is probably available on Alibris. The ISBN is 0-8069-3169-8.

Thanks for the book tip. Just ordered one off ebay for $3.97 shipped

 

[DancingLady]

I think you'd want to make sure the bat boxes were not close to your house at all. I know bats are beneficial, but they can also carry diseases.

 

[claudine]

That's true, DancingLady. I read somewhere that bats transmit many different diseases that are very dangerous to humans. For example, they may carry rabies