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Bzzzzzt
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2013 05:02pm
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I've seen a few bats around my property and I've had the idea to erect a bat house to attract them to the cabin area to deal with the bug problems. I've seen some for sale online as well as bat attractant but I was wondering if anyone here had any experience in the area and/or knew any tips or pitfalls I should avoid.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2013 06:06pm
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 Just popping in to say Hi! Hope you have been well!
No real amount of bat knowledge here, but I do know they flew over all summer while I was out walking and really did a great job on skeeter control for me 
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rockies
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2013 06:12pm
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http://canadianhomeworkshop.com/7285/project-plans/outdoor-projects/to-the-bat-cave
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hattie
Member
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2013 06:06pm
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I agree with trollbridge. Bats are amazing at controlling mosquitoes. We put up a large bat house Bob built many years ago. Sadly we haven't had any tenants.  Hopefully one day.
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Just
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 08:18am
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There has been a huge reduction of bat populations in eastern north America . Up until this year they would take up residence in our umbrellas deeming them useless . We made a cover for the one on the picnic table to stop them from leaving their deposits . But we gave them the one on the upper deck , There would often be 25 bats in the umbrella every day. the kids would try to count them as they left their home every night .
The sad story is we only saw 3 bats on our deck all summer. Do what you can to help them.
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 08:41am
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The bat population is drastically down due to a virus that is spreading East to West. I can't remember the name of it, but I chaperoned a 3rd grade field trip to a local cave last fall and the guide talked about that. It hadn't affected our bat population yet here in Wisconsin.
Beautiful home, Just. Looks like a great place to sit and ponder life. 
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Martian
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 08:55am
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There is a fungus that is infecting bats during hibernation, too. It is called, "White Nose Syndrome" because of the white fungus that grows around the nose and wings of the sleeping bats. It has a 95% mortality rate! They don't have a treatment for it, and it has killed millions of bats in the NE.
Tom
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trollbridge
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 09:31am
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Yeah, maybe that is what it was...a fungus....I know there was something...at the time I remember just trying to avoid grazing the top of my head with the dangling, sleeping bats! ICK! I can handle them from a distance....I didn't want contact with them!!!!!!!
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Rossman
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 09:50am
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Yeah, I heard from my cousins out east in Nova Scotia the bats are pretty well all gone. Sad
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 09:55am
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Bats come back to the same nesting area each year. You may not have bats coming to your bat house because it might not be on their flight path.
We had a neighbor that had 40 coming out of their chimney wall every night. They should have put a bat house up, but they just close up the holes and the bats ended up on sides of houses and trees in the area and eventually either died or moved out of the area. We still see them the sky, but not as many.
So build a house where the bats are traveling. Also most bat houses are protected...so if one goes up it must stay up.
You might also plant flowers that attract birds and dragonflies that can eat the insect you don't want around.
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hattie
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 06:16pm
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The old hotel beside us used to have a bat infestation. We used to entertain ourselves at night by counting them as they flew out of the third floor. I don't know what happened to them but they are all gone. We put up our bat house hoping some of them would take up residence over at our place. We hardly ever see them now. It is very sad.
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Kudzu
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# Posted: 7 Oct 2013 08:54pm
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I bought a bat house and installed it per instructions and never had the first bat use it, but did have a pair of finches use it, all was not lost.
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Bzzzzzt
Member
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2013 06:58pm
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So I guess no one knows anything about bat houses?
This conversation went a tad off topic.
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241comp
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# Posted: 8 Oct 2013 08:03pm
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I've done a bit of reading about them. Important points I've learned:
Bats need to be able to find a comfortable temperature. Install in a sunny location. Use the proper outside color based on your area's temperature. Use caulk to seal the sides and top and provide vents near the bottom to create varying temperatures in the chambers. Taller bat houses provide greater temperature variances.
Bats are not deterred by mild/temporary smells. Don't worry about touching the wood or painting/staining it (water based, not oil based).
Bats need to be able to "cling". Don't use smooth wood (rough-cut or roughen up the surface with gouges from a saw). Extend the back of the bat-house down about 3" below the bottom opening to given them a landing place before they crawl up inside.
Free plans for a basic multi-chamber bat house are available from Bat Conservation Intl here: http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/bathouses/FourChamberNurseryHousePlans.pdf
Hope some of that helps.
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johng
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2013 10:41pm
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Quoting: Bzzzzzt So I guess no one knows anything about bat houses? This conversation went a tad off topic.
You're within an hours drive of a cornucopia of bat information.
Head to Devil's Den State Park and you will learn more bat lore than Adam West could ever indulge you with. Plus it will enlighten you to your local flying mammal preferences.
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Just
Member
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# Posted: 9 Oct 2013 11:13pm - Edited by: Just
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Quoting: Bzzzzzt So I guess no one knows anything about bat houses?This conversation went a tad off topic.
O Bzzzzzt I thought it was clear , PUT UP A UMBRELLA ,.!!
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Bzzzzzt
Member
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# Posted: 10 Oct 2013 05:17pm
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Quoting: johng You're within an hours drive of a cornucopia of bat information. Head to Devil's Den State Park and you will learn more bat lore than Adam West could ever indulge you with. Plus it will enlighten you to your local flying mammal preferences.
I have been to Devils Den several times but never thought to ask anyone about the bats. I know their caves are currently closed due to the white nose syndrome but the next time I'm down that way I may just stop in to the ranger's station and ask. Thanks for the idea.
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SubArcticGuy
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2013 01:25pm
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I participate in some research of bats and bat hibernacula. We have had success installing bat houses and moving bats from used structures into the bat houses. It sometimes takes a few years to get bats to make the move but it is possible. The bat houses are a great idea and anything we can do to help the populations with the struggle of WNS is a bonus.
Here is a link to a useful document outlining problem bats as well as solutions and plans for bat houses.
http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/uh081.pdf
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 11 Oct 2013 01:32pm
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bats like a high perch to rest at, large open grown trees with lots of bark furrows (rough bark) are natural attractions to them, it makes it easy for them to fly off and navigate back to. around my place there are a couple huge cottonwoods and oak trees that they like.
the belfry on older churches were tall structures usually standing prominent over a landscape (like a big tree in a field), and provide plenty of cracks and sheltered places for them to hide around the big open space at the top where the old bells would sit, hence the old term "bats in the belfry"
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