Anybody ever build a bat house?

[Ryan Lee]

Has anyone ever build a bat house. I've been looking for some plans online, and all I find are really small ones.

Does anybody have any plans for a larger house. Like a 3 tier house.

[Jamie Buxton]

I built two, from plans from www.batcon.org. They have three chambers for bats. When I built them, perhaps five years ago, the plans were free. It seems that they are now encorporated in a pamphlet shown at http://www.batcatalog.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=193. The house pictured on the front of the book is what I built. The houses took a year or so to attract occupants, but have been fully-occupied since then.

[Ryan Lee]

Jamie,

Has having the bats around controlled your mosquito population? That is the main reason I want to build one.

Thanks for the input.

[Homer Faucett]

I built two, from plans from www.batcon.org (http://www.batcon.org). They have three chambers for bats. When I built them, perhaps five years ago, the plans were free. It seems that they are now encorporated in a pamphlet shown at http://www.batcatalog.com/scripts/prodView.asp?idProduct=193. The house pictured on the front of the book is what I built. The houses took a year or so to attract occupants, but have been fully-occupied since then.

I built the same one a few years ago. I haven't had much luck with occupancy yet. Maybe this will be the year.

[Matt Meiser]

I found this plan (http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/SingleChamberBHPlans.pdf)on the referenced site.

[Tim Wagner]

ahh matt you beat me to the one I was about to suggest. I have a friend I need to build one for. If you want it bigger just keep stacking chambers.:cool:

[Fred Voorhees]

I'd like to build a few of them some day. However, upon reading up on the subject on the internet, I really have nowhere that is prime location for positioning them. I'm also interested in the mosquito fighting possibilities of the deal.

[Tim Wagner]

I really have nowhere that is prime location for positioning them

what does your research say a good position/location would be?

[Al Killian]

I was told the south side of the barn.

[Ryan Lee]

Also, they say to put them like 12 to 15' in the air.

[Fred Voorhees]

what does your research say a good position/location would be?
All day sun exposure. Mounting in trees seldom works and poles and buildings are the preferred mounting method. I don't want to mount one to my house. I have an extreme dislike for putting any holes in the siding of my home that aren't absolutely necessary. I could mount it to my chimney, but the sun exposure there is very minimal. Proximity to water within 1/4 mile is recommended and at least 12' high, but 15 to 20 feet is better. I could mount it on a pole in my yard, but that would add another obstacle to mow around.

[David G Baker]

Ryan,
I have an area on my property that has water in it at least 7 months out of the year. The water is shallow and is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Between the thousands of frogs and many bats, the mosquito population is not too bad.
I am not sure where the bats are living now but I am thinking about adding a couple bat houses to encourage more bats to stay in my area to help cut down on the mosquitoes that have survived.
David B

[Bryan Rocker]

Well to add a funny side to bats. Late last summer I was pulling off the old fake very home made shutters off the side of my brick veneer. I went to pull the one off the side of my 10' living room window using a 3 ft pry bar and it fell to the ground, as it did so there was a black object that fell with it and the shutter fell on it. Come to find out it was a bat. How it got up behind there is beyond me but he did. We laid teh shutter over him and in a few ours he was clinging to the back of it. By next morning he was gone. It sure did startle me and the mrs. I may build me a bat house or two in teh future.....

[Paul Douglass]

I have a great place for one, south side of house, lots of sun, two stories up, but who wants bat droppings down the side of theri house:o ?

[Jamie Buxton]

I have a great place for one, south side of house, lots of sun, two stories up, but who wants bat droppings down the side of theri house:o ?

The two bathouses I built are fastened to the house. The guano doesn't drip down the outside of the house, but rather collects as a small pile of dry droppings on the ground.

[jonathan snyder]

Thats great that folks are thinking of putting up bat houses. Bat Conservation International is a great organization. Bats often get a bad rap, but are an important part of the ecosystem. I think BCI has some guidelines for locating the houses and what color to paint the outside, based on what latitude you live in. This helps with temperature control so they don't get overheated. I would put some houses up myself, but I am just a tad to far north.

Jonathan

[Mike Heidrick]

Does it have to face south?? What is teh benefit of it facing south? I have plenty of tall spots to mount them around the property that get full sun. I could mount one on the end of the garage but it faces north but towards the pond - would that work.

Can someone send me the multi room bat house plan to my email address unix888(at)verizon(dot)net please. I can recipricate with other plans if needed.

[Tim Wagner]

I could mount it on a pole in my yard, but that would add another obstacle to mow around.

how about two poles one on each side of your property, with a cable suspended between the two and the bat house centered between the two poles suspended off the cable.

on the other hand that may be kind of hokie.

[Fred Voorhees]

how about two poles one on each side of your property, with a cable suspended between the two and the bat house centered between the two poles suspended off the cable.

on the other hand that may be kind of hokie.
I've got a BIG yard and would need one heck of a long cable.

[Jim Becker]

I've got a BIG yard and would need one heck of a long cable.

And think of the danger to low-flying planes... :eek:

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Ryan,
I have an area on my property that has water in it at least 7 months out of the year. The water is shallow and is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Between the thousands of frogs and many bats, the mosquito population is not too bad.
I am not sure where the bats are living now but I am thinking about adding a couple bat houses to encourage more bats to stay in my area to help cut down on the mosquitoes that have survived.
David B

Same here.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Builders-Handbook-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/0974237914/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1201435-7036146?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175002669&sr=1-1

It's only $10 and it tells you everything you need to know. I plan on building some bat houses this summer. Good project to do with the kids.

[Ed Breen]

I've built one and will build another and mount it on the pole where my 3 tier bird house was. Its about 20' up. If you can't get southern exposure make sure you paint the house white to attract and hold heat. In fact, in some areas if you have too much sun you're better off to paint it black.
Ed

[Belinda Barfield]

Ryan,

Go to www.batworld.org (http://www.batworld.org). This site offers free plans, as well as all the information you need for location, paint/stain colors, etc. It is critical that you have the right combination for your area, otherwise you have no tenants, or really hot/cold bats.

If you are interested in a 5 chamber house kit with a holding capacity of ~250 bats go to www.batmanagement.com (http://www.batmanagement.com). This site has a great how-to finish section that again covers placement, mounting, paint or stain color for your area, etc.

Hope this is of help to you.

[David Epperson]

I've built one and will build another and mount it on the pole where my 3 tier bird house was. Its about 20' up. If you can't get southern exposure make sure you paint the house white to attract and hold heat. In fact, in some areas if you have too much sun you're better off to paint it black.
Ed
Sounds backwards. Black reflects less and heats up quicker.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

Sounds backwards. Black reflects less and heats up quicker.

You're right David. There's a map on the batworld site referenced above that tells you what color to paint it depending on the area of the country that you live. The further north you go, the darker you want it. To retain the heat that bats like.

[Laurie Brown]

I have bats in my area also, and I would love to build houses to attract more of them. The question is, however, how do you attract BATS to your houses rather than what I would be more likely to get - wasps, bees, hornets...

[Richard Daly]

for what it's worth, i found out that bats do NOT look for a house in trees.They DO look in the uppermost peaks of homes ,and outbuildings. I am no expert on bats but i did read this on a bat site...good luck STUBBY...keep fingers out of joiners

[James Carmichael]

I have a great place for one, south side of house, lots of sun, two stories up, but who wants bat droppings down the side of theri house:o ?

It's great fertilizer and useful for making black powder:D

[Mike Heidrick]

Isn't this an ammo can on the bat management site?? Pretty cool Idea!!

[Roger Wilson]

Here is a web page and a pdf of it all with plans for a variety of bird houses and on pages 19 and 20 of the pdf, bat house plans.

Thank North Dakota.


http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/wildlife/ndblinds/

[Ed Frie]

I believe I read somewhere in my research about building one that bats need 105 degrees or better (consistently) to raise a family of little ones. Thus their invasion of uncooled attics so often. That's also why the black paint and the south side, etc. Or so I understand.

[Mike Heidrick]

Check out this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Builders-Handbook-Completely-Revised-Updated/dp/0974237914/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-1201435-7036146?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1175002669&sr=1-1

It's only $10 and it tells you everything you need to know. I plan on building some bat houses this summer. Good project to do with the kids.

I bought this book on recomendation from you folks and it is a fantastic book. Very nice and well worth the $10. Thankyou for recommending it.

[Michael Handrinos]

Yeah. And she stills lives in it with her boyfriend!!:eek: :D :D :D