Bat House Forum

[Mark]

My wife and four children just moved into a new home in LAnse Michigan- in the Upper Peninsula. Last night the kids and I were out and I noticed some sounds coming from the side of the house where there is now a defunct chimney. We waited until nightfall and counted at elast 40 bats coming out.

I don't have any issue with bats and understand there are plenty of good reasons to let them live there. Since it seems they are living on the outside of the house, or at least not inside our drywall, is there any reason to be concerned about parasites, guano, etc?

Thanks for any help,

Mark

[Terry Lobdell]

The bats are roosting around the chimney because the masonry helps hold heat through the night. I have several bat houses mounted to the outside of my home and although I have observed bat bugs inside the bat houses (similar to a bed bug), they have never entered my living space.

Bat Conservation International has very good info on how to safely exclude them if you eventually want to do that.

Guano and urine can be a problem if it comes in contact with metal because it is very corrosive.

If you mount a bat house nearby they would probably occupy it quickly.

[Mark]

Thanks for the quick reply, though I am hoping for others I do have questions.

I assume these could be nursing females and IF I bat proof, I don't want to leave anyone behind. Is there a time I can safely do this in the future?

I think the whole area they are living in is connected to a unused sauna in the basement. I had thought that I would be using that next year. This may be a way to get the bats out so I can proof the area, but again, it seems to have some risks.

We all like the bats here, but some of us are talking about "bedbugs" they have seen recently - how big are these insects you refer to?

Right now I am thinking of making a bat house next month and hoping it phases out some of the bats we have living in the chimney.  I am concerned the bats will freeze in the winter, though, as this may be the reason they are in this part of my house. The wall they are in is a foot behind a woodstove.

Thanks for the help thus far. Anymore ideas?

 

[Terry Lobdell]

Late August or September you could start excluding them.

Bat bugs are usually about 3/16" to 1/4" long, slightly oval shaped and orangish in color. I will try to post a link to a picture of one.

If they are little brown bats, they will all migrate and hibernate elsewhere.

If they are big browns, they may try to winter over in your house.

[Terry Lobdell]

Here is a link to a  picture and info about bat bugs:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2105a.html

[Mark]

That calmed the ladies of the house down.

They saw a show about bedbugs, and then became paranoid. Then after last night and reading about bats they thought they had bat bugs.

I think we have seen like 2 black bugs, but I am one of the only man of the house. Nobody listens.

 

I saw on Bat Conservation Int that in the winter they bats usually live in smaller groups and in caves- that is at least for the big and little browns.

 I assume that is a generality and they could all be hanging out here with me this winter?

Thanks for all the help so far. Right now it seems like the bats are causing no harm to the house. I went out and watched them again tonight. Kind of neat...

Mark

[IowaNate]

Terry has great advice and is very knowledgeable. More than likely the bats have been living in your new house for many years. Don't worry about the bats freezing if they happen to be big browns that use buildings sometimes for hibernation as these bats are very hardy.

  Terry and I both have several occupied bat houses mounted on our homes, and have never had a problem with parasites affecting us humans. I applaud you for wanting to live in harmony with our little winged mammals of the night!

                                          Nate

             

[Terry Lobdell]

I've never heard of little browns hibernating in a residence. That species always migrates to a cave.

I have heard of big browns hibernating in people's homes. They find a place where it stays in the 40's throughout the winter.  

If you look at the guano you can tell what species of bats you have.

I think Joe may have pictures of little brown and big brown bat guano on here.

[Mark]

Sounds good. My dad has a bat box that has never (in 15 years) been used. Where he lives they must have better places to go.  I'll put that up near their current place and see how many start living there.

I'll check the big brown/vs little brown scat and see what I can come up with. They see small to me. It would be good to know what the neighbors are.

I had wondered how long they have lived here, and I think you are right. I assumed that big of a colony didn't spring up overnight. That makes me feel better too- they probably aren't causing all that much damage.

Do browns carry their young out at night. I had heard some bats do that. I am now trying to get a guess on numbers.

If they eat mosquitoes, the more bats the better. Been a wet year here.

Thanks again for all the help. Your guys are great.

Mark

[Terry Lobdell]

You're welcome Mark! Supposedly bats will carry their young during the first week but after that they become too heavy.

I suspect they may carry them after a week old because mine move around a lot to different bat houses before the pups are big enough to fly.

[Dave Miller]

They saw a show about bedbugs, and then became paranoid. Then after last night and reading about bats they thought they had bat bugs. 

Perhaps you could get them to watch a show about mosquitoes, followed by a show about (insect-eating) bats

You can be sure that when moths and night-flying beetles are not available, the bats are putting a serious dent in the mosquito population in your neighborhood, on the order of thousands of mosquitoes per bat per night. 

I have never been bitten by a bed/bat bug, nor do I know anyone who has.  But I get bitten by mosquitoes nearly every evening this time of year.  In fact it was the mosquitoes driving me insane that first caused me to look into building a bat house.  I have never had more than 1 or 2 bats in my bat house (I am too far from water, I believe) so I have not seen much of a dent in my mosquitoes, but I have friends with a whole colony of bats in their attic, and mosquitoes are not an issue at all for them.