Bat House Forum

[cloudman75]

I checked all three bat houses for bats tonight since Friday's high here was 61F. My large 5 chamber had 2 small brown bats, but smaller than little browns but similar in color. It is not an uncommon happening for this time of the year.
The bats evidently stay somewhere close by on below freezing temps. We have just come out of the most continuous
below freezing temps that I have seen here in my lifetime. Over a week of below freezing even in the daytime. I
had a feeling that a bat or two might show up as the forecast is above freezing at night and in the high 50s for most of the week. These bats can forecast weather I think. Since this bat house was used by freetails, little browns , and some unknowns, I am changing my plans to discard it. I am going to relocate it away from my deck as over a 100 bats make a
pile of droppings. I will move it into the back yard about 30 ft from its' present location. I also have plans to build a
wide, tall, two chamber before March. It will be 4 ft x about 36 inches. I need to get moving on the project as March will be here before we know it. The worst part is making the baffles rough or with saw kerfs. I do not plan to use any more screening for now. This new house will weigh over 50 pounds. Any one else have any bats in winter?

Frank