Bat house

[Minouri]

Does anyone have a bat house on their property to help keep down the bus? How is working for you? Any advice? We're thinking of getting one and putting it on the edge of the wetlands in the back.

[CarolU]

You can download directions on how to build bathouses (if you're handy). Bats are awesome animals and have a bad rap they don't deserve. We have bats here. We have no mosquitos, but I don't know if that is because it is dry or because of the bats.

We also have Mud Swallows that are also hard on insects, but they do nest in eves and poop on your doorstep. Bats are little easier to manage where they nest.

[Abejita]

I have had bat houses at two different farms..never had bats in them..but always saw bats around in the evening.I read somewhere that they really dont use them?

[Jane Hurl]

They'll use them. You just have to put them where they want them. (I can't remember how to locate them, but I imagine it differs from place to place anyway. I think way up here the idea is to locate them on the SOUTH side of, say, a tree ... up high. If you're in a hot place, it's probably to locate them on the NORTH side [assuming you're in the northern hemisphere *grin*].)

Do NOT paint them.
Use rough lumber so their little feeties have something to hold onto on the inside.

[baileyholc]

In the power pole in my back yard their is this hole. In this hole their is bats. I don't know how many of them are in this hole. I just know that we don't have much of a skeeter proplem. We live across the street from a creeck and one block from a pond. The closest one that is, is one block from my house.

btw, the bats don't bother us or my pets. The cats go crazy when they are flying around the back yard. But that is becouse they want to catch them.

[Heidi]

I want hubby to build us a house for bats. I can speak 'bat', did you know?

Shortly after "Finding Nemo" came out, hubby's favorite part was where Dorie says she can speak 'whale'. Well, we were sitting on the barn trusses in the pasture one evening at dusk and a bat flew overhead. I made a pursed mouth whistle-noise that I use to call my kitties...it is high-pitched...and the bat flew back to check us out. Hubby turned to me, and with wide eyes and a surprised voice said: "Wow, I didn't know you could speak bat!"
My nephew thinks it's cool that his Auntie can speak 'bat'... :D

[CarolU]

Heidi, doesn't surprise us, we always knew you were a little batty. :razz:

[Heidi]

Great, now you've just confirmed what my mother has been telling me all along!
:razz:

[SQUEAKS]

Bat houses do work. Here are some good links how to build your own.

http://www.batconservation.org/content/bathouse/buildyourown.htm

http://home.earthlink.net/~jdwiggins/batpage/bathouse/bathouse.html

and this link gives you more information about bats than you might want to know

http://www.batbox.org/

Hope this helps :D

[Minouri]

Thanks for the info! Hey, we might try to make our own bathouse.