Bat Houses

Bat reputation

Goblins, witches and vampires haven't done much to help the bat's reputation. Once, only associated with ghostly haunted houses and ghoulish cemeteries, a real bat house bears little resemblance to its Halloween counterparts. Despite their spooky reputation, bats are some of man's best friends. Because seventy percent of the worlds bats live on a diet comprised wholly of insects, many people install or build bat houses as an environmentally safe means of pest control. A single bat can catch from six hundred to a thousand mosquitoes per hour, and it's been estimated that in some places bat colonies consume as much as two hundred fifty tons of insects a night. Farmers and gardeners have discovered that bats are excellent pollinators, and help to reduce crop damage from rootworms and other grubs. A bat house is a great way to attract these friendly pest controllers to your own neighborhood.

Home sweet home
Bat houses are easy to build or purchase. They can vary in overall size but they must be constructed to provide tight spaces, keeping in mind that a bat's natural habitat is the small space between the tree and the tree bark. Bat houses must be located in sunny areas to provide the warm temperatures that bats prefer when raising young. A house built to stand 10-15 feet above the ground will also help protect the bats from predators. Remember, a bat is not a bird. Paying close attention to its specific environmental needs will help insure a successful bat house.

More information
Several agencies and organizations provide websites with information about bat houses and detailed instructions on how to build your own:

• Bat Conservation International
• Carlsbad Caverns National Park
• National Wildlife Federation
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Beneficial Bats
• Organization for Bat Conservation