Bat House Forum

[Dave M]

What is the best material to staple inside bat houses for them to hang onto? It seems like most people prefer PET Mesh, but I don't know what that is. I want to have very long lasting mesh to staple to plywood. What is PET mesh, what makes it the best, and where can I buy some? Please let me know if there is something better to use.

Thanks,
Dave

[Terry Lobdell]

Walmart and places like Home Depot and Lowes all carry pet mesh...........stainless steel staples about 3/8" are a must to attach it.........or gorilla glue.........

Pet mesh is probably the best mesh to use, but the the last couple years I have just been using rough sawn boards..........the surface is plenty rough enough and it is much cheaper and less work than pet mesh.

[William Bagwell]

I have noticed the local Home Depot now carries stainless steel staples and Monel staples. (Not nickle, but a nickle alloy. Editing of my early morning blathering before my coffee kicks in.) Was there again today and the Monel staples were $14, stainless $12 for the same size and package quantity. Are the Monel better than ordinary stainless? Anyone tried them in a bat house yet?

[Dave M]

The rough sawn boards sound pretty good instead of bothering with mesh, but my house is going to be very large and awkward to install. Weight is a concern, would plywood with mesh stapled to it be lighter or heavier than rough boards? How many years do you expect PET mesh to last in MN? Does bat use smooth down rough boards over the years, or isn't that a concern?

Dave

[Terry Lobdell]

Dave, Here is a link to pictures of a large bat box (capacity of about 300 mothers plus pups) that I built in 8 pieces for ease of mounting. This was the 2nd one I did like this and it went real well.........I plan on building all my large bat boxes in separate components in the future simply because it is easier and more safe.

A box of this design would be easy to take apart and move also if needed......

Plywood is still very heavy because it is so dense.........

Rough sawn baffles would last many years I'm guessing........I really don't think the surface becoming too smooth would be a problem.........I suppose it might erode down some over the years if heavily used........

Pet mesh from my experience lasts a long time...........but I don't plan on using it again........

old-tires-for-bat-house-exteriors-t890.html

[Dave M]

I thought of a way to modify the plan so that the house is in two parts, making weight and bulk less of an issue. There's a place nearby where I can get rough wood from large discarded packing boxes and pallets that an outdoor sign company throws away. I'm leaning towards using this wood instead of plywood. A couple more questions: I read somewhere that the inside of the box should be colored black with latex stain, but everyone's pictures show light wood inside, does staining help or not? If using rough boards, should I try to keep the seams as tight as possible and caulk them? (I will be providing ventilation in some areas).

[Terry Lobdell]

Dave, I have experimented a lot with darkening the interiors of bat boxes.........what I do now is just darken the lower areas.......the link I just posted has pictures where I did not darken anything........I will eventually spray the lower portion of that box with either a dark latex stain, food coloring or a home made walnut husk stain I have mixed up.......

As far as tight seams go, it is good to have the top as tight as possible..........but I've seen plenty of boxes with large little brown maternities with cracks in the wood........

I'm coming to believe that overall bulk and weight which will hold a higher temperature through the night may be more important than having the box absolutely air tight.........

Kent Borcherding is a firm believer in this.......he uses only one and two inch wood for his boxes...........I have come to the same conclusion........the heavier wood holds and stabilizes temperatures better.......

If you have to use thinner dimensions of lumber like that used in pallets probably the thing to do would be to make more crevices and like you said, make it in 2 pieces so it's easier to mount.......