Bat House Forum

[IowaNate]

  I will be making one bat house this year from concrete and sawdust. I plan on using a 50/50% mixture. I have the plans and diagram for the mold already created to make a two chamber house that is 12" wide and 21" tall. I am not sure if this house has been tried in a climate such as Iowa's, but I am willing to give it a shot.

  Next year (perhaps this summer) we will see if it is occupied and what times of the year the bats use it. The mold will be created from plywood and nails so I can easily disassemble the wood from the concrete house. I am planning on leaving the house the natural light grey color of the concrete.

  Call me crazy, but since I have had successful nursery houses, I want to try some hibernation houses. The thermal dynamics of concrete are much different than wood, so I will be mounting this house on my own home for added thermal stability.

[Terry Lobdell]

Nate, I too would like to make some hibernation houses but just have not got around to it.........

[kent borcherding]

The hibernation boxes may work , but there is also a downside to smaller hibernation sites

Bats swarm the hibernaculm sites in the fall and also mate in the fall and during awaking times in winter.

With large numbers of bats at a hibernation site this is natures way of protecting against inbreeding.

[Gran]

Nate,  did you have any luck with these?

[cloudman75]

Nate,

I think your concrete and sawdust house may be a very good nursery house for the Cedar Rapids area. After checking the winter heating design temperature for Cedar Rapidsi n my Ashrae Guide, I think the bats will know better than to hibernate there in a bat house. Of course, bats always surprise me so I will be anxious to see what happens. I also noted what Kent said and think nature will win out for a bat cave hibernation. I always enjoy your posts about new ideas, so good luck.

 

Frank