Table of Contents
All bat houses should be mounted at least 10 feet above ground, and 12 to 20 feet is better. Choose a sunny location on the East or South facing side of your house. Bat houses work best with at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight (if only partial day sun is available- morning sun is preferable).
Can you hang a bat house on a tree?
Bat houses can be mounted on wooden posts, steel poles, pivot poles, or on the sides of buildings, but should not be mounted on trees for three reasons: They receive less sun among the branches. Bat tenants are more vulnerable to predators sitting in trees.
How do you attract bats to a new bat house?
The closer the bat house is to your area’s largest water source, the better your chances of attracting bats to the bat house. Grow night-scented flowers that attract night-flying insects like moths. Bats can eat a wide variety of insects including mosquitoes, moths, chinch bugs, and beetles.
When should you put up a bat house?
When is the best time to put up a bat box? Bat boxes can be installed at any time of year, but they are more likely to be used during their first summer if they are put up before the bats emerge from hibernation in the spring.
How high do I hang a bat house?
Installing Your Bat House Your bat house should be about 12–20 feet above the ground and should be 20–30 feet from tree lines, structures and other obstacles.
Can I hang a bat house on a telephone pole?
NEVER hang a bat house on any active service pole of any kind. Poles abandoned in place by the power company may make a good mount but you should check with the authority that owns the pole to make sure it is OK. Unless they transfer ownership of the pole to you, they have the right to come remove it at any time.
Do you have to clean bat houses?
Bat houses are relatively maintenance free, so you should not have to clean your bat house. General maintenance, such as repainting the house, should be done when the bats have left to hibernate for the winter.
How long does it take to attract bats to a bat house?
Be patient, and allow time for bats to discover and examine the house. If it’s still unused after two years, though, try modifying or moving it. According to BCI research, 90% of bat houses that attract bats do so within two years, while the other 10% take three to five years.
How do you bait a bat?
There is no recognized bait for bat traps, because they are so difficult to catch in the open air. They do generally feed on flying insects, but trying to bait a trap in this way is almost impossible. Bats are known for carrying rabies, and there are also other diseases that are associated with their droppings.
What color should you paint a bat house?
Observations suggest that color should be black where average high temperatures in July are less than 85° F, dark colors (such as dark brown or dark gray) where they are 85° to 95° F, medium colors where they are 95° to 100° F and white or light colors where they exceed 100° F.
Do bats nest in boxes?
A bat box is similar to a bird box in size, however, instead of having a hole in the front opening to a large box, it is composed of several small rectangular boxes (between 15mm and 25mm deep) which have been joined together. This replicates bats’ natural roosts as the small spaces help to protect them from predators.
Are bat boxes a good idea?
Why are bat houses important? Bat houses are particularly helpful in providing alternative roosting habitat for bats that are excluded from homes. Installing a bat house on your property can provide a safe environment for bats, while protecting your yard from pest insects, like mosquitoes, moths, and beetles.
Should I put a bat house in my backyard?
Proper placement of the bat house is just as important as good design. Temperature has a huge impact on whether bats will use a bat house or not. Without exception, bat houses should be placed in areas that receive at least eight hours of direct sunlight every day.
Where is the best place to put a bat box?
Boxes should be put as high as possible to try and avoid predation from cats on the ground or nearby structures. On buildings, boxes should be placed as close to the eaves as possible. Bats use dark tree lines or hedgerows for navigation, so putting boxes near these features could help bats find the box.
Do bats eat bees?
Bats usually don’t eat bees. Most bat species are nocturnal, while most bees are diurnal. However, this doesn’t mean that bats wouldn’t eat bees if they run into them. Bats eat almost all insects, and bees wouldn’t be an exception to this.
Can you put a bat house on your house?
A bat house should generally be 12-20 feet off the ground. Bats like to be far away from other animals and humans, especially predators like cats. We’ve found a height of 20 feet tends to be ideal. If your home can meet all the conditions laid out above, then mounting the bat house on your home isn’t a bad idea.
Can you put a bat house on an electric pole?
Bat houses should not be lit by bright lights. This is one reason installing them on existing light or utility poles is a bad idea. All bat houses should be mounted at least 10 feet above ground, and 12 to 20 feet is better.
Do you put food in a bat house?
There’s simply more food for many insects with all the flowers and fruits around. Bats know this, too. Plant a few few trees or maintain a small garden near where you want to keep the bat box. By doing so, you’ll attract a few extra insects to your property, but the extra bats you attract will more than make up for it.
