Bat House Forum

[cloudman75]

My two recently built bat houses are complete except for painting the pine wood on the smaller house. I have not decided yet on blue or green . I'll have to check my existing paint to make a decision. I cannot replace my old 5 chamber as I still have bats. When they leave I will install these two houses to let them weather over the winter and maybe get a look see by some winter visitors. The existing 5 chamber is full of bat bugs and the screening is coming loose on the back where I used galvanized staples. It lasted 5 years. All the other baffles are scratched and doing OK. I'll not use it until I make a few needed repairs. The two new houses will go on the pole to replace it this winter.

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Frank

[William Bagwell]

The existing 5 chamber is full of bat bugs and the screening is coming loose on the back where I used galvanized staples. It lasted 5 years. All the other baffles are scratched and doing OK. I'll not use it until I make a few needed repairs. The two new houses will go on the pole to replace it this winter.
Frank

Are you going to try to kill the bugs? And if so how?

Have not seen the ones that were roosting in the eves of our house for weeks. Thinking of getting the ladder out and inspecting the two places I know they used. Also peek in the attic and see if they ever used it as I suspect they did...

[cloudman75]

When I take the bat house down, I will put it down near the woods and let it sit several months. The bat bugs will leave from lack of a food source or die from starvation or cold weather. In my area they can live for weeks. I do not spray them but I have used a hose with water to scatter them from the bat houses. I suspect that there are other parasites in there also but the bat bugs are large enough to be seen. This old house is screwed together, so It can be disassembled ,the screening on the back removed, scratched and used again if desired. It is so heavy, I don't plan at this time to reuse it.
I am curious to see if the new cedar houses will deter parasites. I hope the bats will use them as they do have some cedar odor. The odor emissions will diminish somewhat I think over the winter before the bats return in spring. If not, I'll build some out of pine or what ever it takes to provide them a home. My only existing cedar house is the one most used by my
bat colony. The bats will still have two existing houses next season that they have used in the past.

Frank