Bat House Forum

[micaaronfl]

hello all,

i am looking to purchase a small bat house. i live in bucks county pa about 30 minutes from philly. can u recommend any good site to purchase a bat house i can put in the tree. i reseached online and some people say not to buy ones that are cedar, not to buy ones that are branded with a bat symbol as the bats do not like the smell of burnt wood.

Anyway looking for one that has the best chances of working. i would like to hang it high in a tree or however high u recommend.

Thanks

[William Bagwell]

I would look here first,
http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-inv ... el-db.html

Western cedar is an excellent wood for bat houses. Eastern red cedar is the one that is too aromatic and not recommended for bat houses. No personal experience with 'branded' houses but I would think that if done only on the out side it would not bother them with the smell. Do know that wood smoke apparently does not bother them because we heat with wood and have at least one bat roosting in the eaves on the back side of our house today. A small colony of a few dozen was there last summer...

Do you already have bats nearby? Keep in mind that if your more than a quarter mile from a good water source you will be very unlikely to attract a maternity colony. You can get bachelors a bit farther, I think up to one mile.
--
William

[Terry Lobdell]

You won't get bats in a house mounted on a tree..........a successful bat house has to have a lot of exposure to the sun. An exception would be a dead tree with no foliage or a very tall tree where the sun could reach low enough to warm the bat house.

[micaaronfl]

thanks guys, i did read that it isnt good to put in a tree, what if i have a wooden pole? i think i read somewhere it should be 10 feet high or more? i do live close to a water source and at dusk i do see bats flying overhead some nights.

i had to locations picked out for the box, one on a wooden pole in the corner of my yard, about 5 feet above my western red cedar fence and in between trees. Is that a good spot? or another about 10 feet high against the house or chimney stack. both get the morning sun but not afternoon. what do u guys think?

also anyone have a bat box that is certified, looking to spend 40-60 bucks.

Thanks

[Terry Lobdell]

A pole would be good and also the locations you mentioned on your house sound good too.

If the box is mounted above mowed lawn then 10 feet from the bottom of the box to the ground will work.......12 feet would be better.......

Bat Conservation and Management from Carlyle PA have certified bat houses for a reasonable cost.......

[micaaronfl]

terry thanks i see that site has one for about 60 bucks a 3 chamber, is that what u suggest?

Also if i mount against chimney stack i would rather not have a pole, is there any adhesive that i could get to have the box stick to the chimney stack?

i have been told a pole in between trees isnt a good idea on another site.

[Terry Lobdell]

Yeah, bats get nervous if the box is too close to trees........

I suppose some kind of epoxy might work to glue the box to your chimney, but I would probably want some type of anchor drilled into the morter joints.......

The 3 chamber box at 60.00 would probably be about right.....you might be able to find a similar one for less........

[micaaronfl]

terry if u have any suggestions on where to find one that is less im all ears, i just want one that has the best chance of working, i wanted to keep thr pricing like 40 bucks

[Terry Lobdell]

If you have any Wild Birds Unlimited Stores nearby they might have a decent small one for around $40.00

[cloudman75]

http://www.amazon.com/Looker-OBC-Bat-Tr ... 731&sr=8-1

This one on amazon.com is a three chamber cedar for 41 bucks plus.

Frank

[micaaronfl]

thanks cloudman would u recommend the design? also when should i mount this thing? spring? april?

[cloudman75]

Yes,
This house has been very successful for me. I would say get it up right away. Even winter is a good time before the bats come out of hibernation in your area. We may have an early spring up according to your Pete the groundhog. I suspect by next month some bats may be looking for a home, but don't know for sure in your location. Terry does I'll bet.

Frank

[micaaronfl]

thanks cloudman, Terry i see the store ur talking about and i am going to see what prices are like this friday if they have it in store. what do you guys think of this one?

http://shop.wbu.com/products/productdet ... /567.0.1.1

[Terry Lobdell]

I think that price is too expensive for a single crevice box!

[po boy]

Dimensions: 22¾" x 16" x 4¼"

crevice is too deep