Bat House Forum

[IowaNate]

  I have never seen an article or study done on how bats differentiate fresh water sources as opposed to solid ground. I am sure that water makes a different "echo" than ground to the bats, I would love to see a link to something of this nature.

  My lifetime goal is to have a few acres of land and a 1 to 2 acre fishing pond, and also have bat houses hung around it. But the pond would be a new "dig" and if there isn't a former year-round water source within 1/4 mile, how are the bats going to find my new pond and take up residence beside it? Do they sometimes echolocate towards the ground in new areas?

    Any response or speculations would be greatly appreciated!

                                                              Nate

[kent borcherding]

Bats have an amazing keen sense of smell , I suspect this is how they find water.

[IowaNate]

 Thanks Kent. My fiance actually suggested the same thing, and the "smell" could also be the bats sensing the humidity or water vapor rising for the source. I am surprised that I haven't been able to find any solid studies done on this subject, and I have been all over the internet and libraries.

[Terry Lobdell]

It seems like while bats forage, they explore their surroundings thoroughly..........looking for good places to feed and places to evade predators........they know there are more insects around water........maybe abundant insects sometimes lead them to water.............When they fly over a building they can probably feel the heat rising off of it..............that probably leads them to look for places to enter..........They probably can feel and smell water vapor rising off of ponds and streams as well.  Maybe they use all their senses to find water........

[cjacustomwoodworking]

Bats are all over our neighborhood.  My neighbors are snobby and mostly crippled with fear of bats.  They blame me for the bats flying around at night because of my bat house.:shock::shock::shock:

Course, they all seem to overlook the fact that since their swimming pools went in the past couple years, the bug population shot up and the bats swarmed in.  Here I thought it was my great house designs, but, in actuality its the swimming pools.  They eat, they drink, its a cool sight to see.
:thumbsup1:

[LarryH]

I've never thought about how they find water, but each evening when the bats emerge from our houses, they fly directly towards where the creek crosses the corner of our property.  That creek is a major source of insects, and they seem to head right for them every evening.  One of the things I love to do is stand on the bridge where the county road crosses the creek and watch the Purple Martins and Barn Swallows swoop over the water scooping up insects -- it is a regular show every late afternoon and early evening. 

[Terry Lobdell]

CJ, Have you had any luck educating your neighbors? I've been suprised about how some people have come around to realizing the value of bats eventually.........

I'd love to see a bat drinking out of a swimming pool............I've had other people describe it to me, but have never seen it myself............ 

[Joe Spencer]

I have a few times but obviously the chlorine is no good for them and additionally if the water level is too low young bats of the year which are still honing their navigation skills will take a sip too close to the edge and are unable to rise quick and fast enough and hit the pool side.  I've had people in my town find them dead in their pools and skimmers and the timing is uncanny.  It seems to coincide and occur in the late spring and early summer when young are just refining and learning their skills.  :mrgreen: