Bat House Forum

[cloudman75]

This past winter I built a tall 3 chamber cedar house with an attic space of good size. I had seen this design on the internet. The result is I have no bats using the house and wasps have built in the attic which is accesible from the south facing chamber. I had never been bothered by wasp nests before this year.
My advice would be not to build a bat house with an attic. I ignored the possibility of the horizontal ceiling collecting guano, but the house remains unused
and wasps can be seen in the chamber and also flying around the house. I don't know if this is the reason the house is unused, but suspect it contributes.
The adjacent house and a house a few feet away are being used. Any opinions on this? Thanks for any comments. My last exit count total was 105 little browns.I still feel lucky to have that number here.
No freetails for the first time in a few years. They came, then left during cold stormy weather and have not returned. No big browns seen in a couple of months. I never do have but a few. Randy, I am surprised that you still have bats with the temp of 100 degrees outside. It must really be hot in the house with 170 bats.


Frank

[William Bagwell]

My advice would be not to build a bat house with an attic. I ignored the possibility of the horizontal ceiling collecting guano, but the house remains unused and wasps can be seen in the chamber and also flying around the house. I don't know if this is the reason the house is unused, but suspect it contributes.Frank

Just for clarification since I think wasps would build in either: A true attic has a floor and only one chamber connects? Verses an 'attic space' where all chambers connect?

William

[cloudman75]

William,
My house has a ceiling in all chambers except one which goes into the attic. The attic extends from front to back dimension of the house, and is the full width. Once in the attic, the ceiling below is also the floor of the attic. Over the attic it has a roof. That's how I built it. Only one chamber has an opening into the attic. It is as you described, a true attic. It is a three chamber house. At night some gather at the chamber top which leads into the attic. During the day they fly into the ventilation gaps on the front and back. I have no other wasp in my remaining 5 houses, but have to agree that they could build in either.
In 7 seasons here I have not had them build in my bat houses,but plenty in my dwelling house ventilation louvers.

Frank

[Terry Lobdell]

I have always read that the narrower crevices deter wasps and I would have to agree..........

I try not to build any bat boxes which have no access to clean out wasp nests.......

Since we are on the subject of wasps, I've been wondering about the possibility that a few wasps may be good.........in that maybe they prey on bat bugs? I don't know, but it's something I'm going to watch for.........

Up here in NWPA I have noticed that wasps like the outer crevices the most........especially ones that are thin and covered with metal.......

I also know that if a crevice has paper wasp nests all the way across there will be no bats in that crevice........

[cloudman75]

Terry,
This house has no access to clean out the wasp nest unless it is taken down. I built it with a roof that screwed on because I knew at some point that the guano would need to be removed provided the bats used the attic. Taking it down would be a major problem. I have come to the conclusion already that it was a bad idea. In the future, I will do like you and build nothing without access to remove wasps. I have had a few in the past sleep in the chambers, but never had them to build. Also the bats did not seem to mind a few. I hope you are right that maybe the wasps would prey on the parasites such as bat bugs.
That's an interesting possibility. Terry, we sometimes have to learn by experience but it's still fun for me. BTW the wasps did go up the outside chamber to find the attic and at first just gathered in the chamber then decided to make a home. There goes my theory that the 5/8 cedar boards aroma would deter insects as this is a new cedar house.

Frank

[Terry Lobdell]

Frank I am seriously starting to wonder if a few wasps may be o.k.......I think in my boxes that a only a few wasps I may just leave them alone........Tonight I was at the Woodcock Creek Nature Center where I have 2 viewable boxes........I lowered it for some high school students to get a close look at the bats.......we had 40+ bats behind the plexi-glass for them to see close up but also many bat bugs........There were also not wasp nests in these 2 boxes at all..........

[Dave Miller]

I too am beginning to think there may be some sort of symbiotic relationship between wasps and bats. I get a lot of wasp nests in my houses but they do not seem to affect the bats. Although I do clean out the wasp nests annually because they take up roosting space.

If you look through the photos in the thread on my bat houses at the refuge, you can see which crevices the wasps & bats seem to prefer. In both houses, the slate side faces SE.

I have also noticed that the house which I recently placed on a live tree has no wasp nests yet, which is really unusual for this location. I'll have to keep an eye on that.

[cloudman75]

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Dave,
There are two wasp nests now at the attic entrance.
I have a cute little resident dark colored bat that lives with the wasps OK.
I took this tonight.


Frank

[Joe Spencer]

Nice Frank.. That's likely another reason why multiple chambered bat houses are more successful aside from thermal mass. There's enough room for everybody!

[cloudman75]

Thanks Joe,
Just wanted to let you know I like the quick reply and have been using it recently. Good job!

[Bats3]

Wow!