Bat House Forum

[Er-Gott]

Hi Everyone,

I just stumbled upon your site today and I love it.

I am purchasing a home in the country in the next month or so. It's a nice area, with mature trees and also a nice open yard. There is a lake across the street. Since insects are a big issue there I figured i would install a few bat houses to keep them in check. I was thinking about mounting the houses on my clothesline pole as this way it will be free standing and also up from the ground quite a bit. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to mount the wooden houses on a metal pole?

Anything else I should be aware of? I'm just starting my research on this.

[Terry Lobdell]

I would use electrical conduit straps........should be easy and inexpensive........

[Joe Spencer]

Sounds like a plan to me. Is your pole solidly in the ground with concrete? If it wiggles or moves excessively when you're using the line, it could bother the bats. If it is steady it sounds like a could place to start with.

[cloudman75]

You said up from the ground quite a bit. Your bat house needs to be higher than most clothes line poles I have used in the past. I would think 15 to 20 ft above ground would give you a better chance to attract bats.
One way I have attached the bat house to a vertical metal pole is to drill holes in the pipe and mount a horizontal board to the pipe with bolts. Then I use screws to mount the bat house to the horizontal board into the back of the bat house
where the back meets the sides so no sharp screw points enter the baffle area. If it is a heavy bat house I use two sets of boards, one near the top of the back and one in the lower part.
Wecome and good luck


Frank

[Er-Gott]

Thank you for all the great responses. As for the pole, it hasn't been installed yet, as currently the clothes line is on a tree. The height I believe will be about 14 feet as it's a Split-entry house and the line is off othe back deck. I will ensure it's high enough before I place them.

I'm not in the house as of yet, so I can't confirm everything just yet but i will.

Thanks again