Bat House Forum

[Carmen]

Hi there..so I'm a newbie to all this! But my husband and I will be soon moving into a home with 8 acres and I want to put up a bat house, as well as a variety of bird houses/feeders. It's near a creek so I figure this is good. But here is my dilemma...while I know bats are good to have around, and I wouldn't' kill a bat..I'm quite sure I'd freak out if they started showing up inside my house. I don't mind them outside, but inside is another story. And I can only imagine my husband's reaction if he had to chase down the bat I was hiding from that had snuck in because I put up a bat house! If you have a bat house and so increase the number of bats around..wouldn't it follow you'd get some in your house? Or..since they have a nice cozy bat house made especially for them..are they not so tempted to come inside? I'd thought that I could put the house a good ways away from the house, more in the woods..but I'd read that ones on houses are best because of the heat. Soo..what's the best solution?

[Terry Lobdell]

Welcome!There is absolutely no evidence that bat houses lead to bats in a home. If anything, bat houses give them another option for roosting and probably decrease the chance they will try to enter your living space.

If you haven't had bats roosting in your attic in the past, you probably won't in the future.

Bats that end up inside a dwelling usually do so later in the summer and according to a professional bat rehabber I know, they are pups (juveniles) that are exploring and get lost. if your residence has a reasonably tight exterior they won't get in.

You can mount a new bat house on a pole away from your home. From my experience here in nw pa, little brown bats overwhelmingly prefer pole-mounted bat boxes anyways.

[Dave Miller]

I have some friends who had bats living in their attic, probably for 30 years or more. When they put up a bat house on their chimney, most of the bats moved from the attic to the bat house.

Of course that is only one data point, but I really do think bats prefer a well designed and placed bat house when one is available.

As others have mentioned, the key to keeping bats (and other creatures) out of your house is to make sure there are no places where they can get in. See http://www.batcon.org/index.php/educati ... ry/69.html

[IowaNate]

Terry and Dave gave great answers.

If bats wanted to live in your home, they would more then likely already be there. And while properly hanging a well-built bat house would very likely increase the numbers of bats in your area, your home should be secure if you have no gaps bigger than 1/2" x 1". Even then, the bats probably would've found that hole in your home long ago if your home was suitable for them.
If you end up getting a nursery colony in your bat house, you will probably find a great deal of bat activity during late Summer when the baby bats are learning to fly and exploring. As Terry noted, these young bats have the greatest probability of flying in an open window or open door...but the probablity is almost non-existant if you have screens on your windows and doors since bats do not chew or make holes of any kind.

Two of my bat houses are hung at a local Nature Center with 800 bats between the two, and they are mounted on the elevated deck of the building within 12 feet of doors and windows, and there has never been a bat that intentionally or accidentally found it's way inside the two story and 2000 square foot building in the 10+ years that the houses have been hung.

Happy bat housing!

Nate

[cloudman75]

Carmen,
You did not mention whether you are getting a new house with the 8 acres or an existing house. If it is an existing house,
it may be a good idea to look in the attic for evidence of bats. Look especially at vertical louvers(air vents ). That way you cannot be responsible for bats that were in the attic when you bought it. I agree with Terry for putting a bat house up on a pole. ( about 20 ft high if possible). Face it South for the entrance if possible. I have three bat houses on poles now. I discovered bats using my louver and it was a small maternity colony. I coveredthe louver with plastic outside to block their access after they left for the winter hibernation. I put up a 3 chamber bat house that winter and the little brown bats moved in upon their return in the spring. They have grown from 17 to over a hundred. The bats have no interest in the louvers of my house anymore. I check them several times a year using my pull down stairway to the attic. I would not put a bat house on my house, but prefer poles about 6 ft or more off the house. I usually shovel up the droppings to use for fertilizer.
Be sure to use a color to match your area . Colder states need darker colors, while warmer ones need those not so dark.
I suspect that you will enjoy the bats once you get a maternity colony. My neighbors sometimes call to ask if they can come watch them exit in summer. Good luck, get a proper house for the bats and ask questions on this forum as there is a lot of
members with good information from experience.

Frank