Bat House Forum

[Ron Earp]

I promise I'll get some pictures up of my bat house, but, the question I have is:

How important is lateral movement between the chambers of the bat house? Unfortunately, my house is already constructed and the plans used called for the dividers to go all the way to the top of the house. Therefore, there is no space at the top for bats to migrate from one chamber to the other.

[Terry Lobdell]

I've done a lot of observation on this and I think it is very important.........I think you can still adapt a box with no openings for lateral movement by using a hole saw and extension to drill an inch and a half hole from the back all the way through the baffles. These holes will allow internal movement between crevices along with an opening in the back for another entrance/exit and ventilation.

[cloudman75]

I agree with what Terry posted. By putting the hole in the back you can patch the back, or leave the hole and the house still looks great. Don't feel lonsome as I forgot on my last house to put a hole in one baffle. I was fortunate to remove 4 screws and drill a hole in the baffle, then put a board back.

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Don't drill through the front like I might.
If you have a hole saw fine, if not you could use a flat blade type wood bit. Also you could cut a hole in the back
large enough to get inside to the baffles and patch the back if it is not long enough. I don't know how many chambers you have so what ever will work for you I think it is important to have the acccess. The pups would be much safer as they sometimes fall when trying to come down to the bottom from what I have read. Also the adults can seek the right temperatures to suit the weather conditions. Terry is experienced in wood working and can tell you what size hole saw. I would use something larger than 1/2 inch up to 3/4 inch. Terry has built lot of houses so maybe he will tell you what it should be, if you don't know.
Good luck and I will be anxious to see your photos.


Frank

[cloudman75]

Ron,
I forgot to consider that you may have used screening on the baffles. If you did, then drilling would do more damage than the benefits most likely. An option would be to remove the roof and notch the top of the baffles for lateral movement.

Frank

[Ron Earp]

My dad and daughter built the house and my dad never does anything half way. So, he had some plans and followed them to a tee adding improvements as he saw fit to increase the longevity of the house. So, it is glued and screwed together with caulking from the inside out, also has roof paper seals under the top panel as the roof is constructed as a two ply. All screws were then plugged with wood so there is no way to take the house apart.

Hole saw, I have them and can do that. What if I just made one hole, maybe an inch in diameter from the back and it went through both inside baffles? He didn't use any screening so we can drill it. Is one hole enough? And, how about 1" in diameter?

Here are a few pictures of the house with the urban camouflage. As discussed elsewhere on the forum I live in a yuppie neighborhood with lots of covenants and so on so the house needs to blend in as best it can, even if it is at the expense of the perfect color etc.

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bat2.jpg (34.11 KiB) Viewed 242 times

bat3.jpg (34.44 KiB) Viewed 242 times

[Terry Lobdell]

That is a nice looking bat house! Yes, I think one inch holes would probably work.........

[cloudman75]

Ron,
I have thought about your house and realized that some houses call for baffles to go all the way to the top and then provide baffes of various lengths at the bottom so the bats can have lateral movement. Of course if all are the same length, that would prohibit that scheme. At any rate, I like the hole in the baffles better as I think they are safer for pups before they can fly. As Terry said a holesaw from the back would solve the problem. I would not put the hole too high up if you leave the hole on the back. The little pups can get chilled when hairless. A great looking house.
Are you in a northern state, or other? Just curious about the color compatibility for the temperature/color chart of your location.

Frank

[Ron Earp]

I'm in NC, Raleigh area, and it is hot here. Over 8X days this year over 90F. Dark colors would definitely not be a good idea.

This house has dividers of different length so the bottom parts are staggered, but the tops of the dividers go all the way to the top.

[cloudman75]

Sorry Ron,
It had slipped my mind that you are in Cary. The paint on your house is great for Cary in my opinion.

Frank