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Gary,
Here are about 20 plans for bat houses. I'm not sure which species of bats settle in this area for the season, but hopefully this will help. I'm with you on the mosquito all out war front. :qleft7::qright5: Can't stand those things. :kamahlitu We lived right on a marsh before this and you could walk outside and have 10 bites in a minute. :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
Here are about 20 plans for bat houses. I'm not sure which species of bats settle in this area for the season, but hopefully this will help. I'm with you on the mosquito all out war front. :qleft7::qright5: Can't stand those things. :kamahlitu We lived right on a marsh before this and you could walk outside and have 10 bites in a minute. :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
In the Raleigh area, I think it's the little brown bat. I see them around the yard at dusk all summer long.
Eastern pipistrelles, big browns and eastern red bats are very common around here. From my understanding, little browns are still considered vulnerable/rare this far east. There were some very notable, large colonies in Wake County. When I was in high school, I used to go collecting and counting with the Natural History Museum. Unfortunately, a large colony of little browns was displaced from an old warehouse right adjacent to the Falls of the Neuse river, when it was converted into condos. There must have been at least 1000 bats in that basement. Unless you are near one of the colonies, most of the smaller bats that we see are eastern pipestrelles.
Here are the NCGAP data for mammals in NC... good resource for expected distribution:
http://www.basic.ncsu.edu/ncgap/datapage/MammData00.html :thumbs_up
http://www.basic.ncsu.edu/ncgap/datapage/MammData00.html :thumbs_up
Gary,
We had big browns living in the attic when we moved into this house 5 years ago. I did a lot of research because I wanted to keep the bats around for the mosquitoes but wanted them out of the house (we had two actually find their way into the house through the gaps around can lights). I waited until summer when the babies were old enough to leave the house at night to hunt and then I covered their entrance hole one night after they were all out of the house. I built a couple of bat houses out of cedar and put the up HIGH (that is the key) in some trees down by the creek behind my house. It took over a year, but eventually a colony started using one of my houses. The key is to keep the house as weather-tight as possible. I used some black roof shingles for the top to help keep the house dry and also warm. The house needs to be high enough (~20' or so) so that the bats can find it when they are flying around. Other things to remember is that bats can't fly from a standstill. They have to drop or fall to get started. They also will need the interior of the bat house to have "grip" so that they can crawl up into the house. I grooved the wood every 1/4" or so, but you can use 1/4" wire mesh or something similar. I will try to find the plans I used, if I find them I will post them.
We had big browns living in the attic when we moved into this house 5 years ago. I did a lot of research because I wanted to keep the bats around for the mosquitoes but wanted them out of the house (we had two actually find their way into the house through the gaps around can lights). I waited until summer when the babies were old enough to leave the house at night to hunt and then I covered their entrance hole one night after they were all out of the house. I built a couple of bat houses out of cedar and put the up HIGH (that is the key) in some trees down by the creek behind my house. It took over a year, but eventually a colony started using one of my houses. The key is to keep the house as weather-tight as possible. I used some black roof shingles for the top to help keep the house dry and also warm. The house needs to be high enough (~20' or so) so that the bats can find it when they are flying around. Other things to remember is that bats can't fly from a standstill. They have to drop or fall to get started. They also will need the interior of the bat house to have "grip" so that they can crawl up into the house. I grooved the wood every 1/4" or so, but you can use 1/4" wire mesh or something similar. I will try to find the plans I used, if I find them I will post them.
oh... and I meant to add-- I also researched building a house and decided against it, due to the layout of my property and the fact that I'm in the middle of a neighborhood and knew one of my more annoying neighbors would freak out if he saw a bat colony forming nearby.
In my research I ran across a web page with a bunch of good tips. I'll see if I can find it, but one of the issues with my property is that it's loaded with just pine trees. If I recall correctly, I think they recommended having a good clearing available for flight paths. There was also a guy that said make sure if you build anywhere near your house that your soffits are WELLLL buttoned up. He built one attached to his house under an end gable to keep it shielded from the weather. Apparently, the bats enjoyed their new home so much that it started to get a little crowded and they found a way in through a soffet. He didn't realize it until it was too late...part of his ceiling started to sag and stain from a HUGE pile of guano in his attic.
In my research I ran across a web page with a bunch of good tips. I'll see if I can find it, but one of the issues with my property is that it's loaded with just pine trees. If I recall correctly, I think they recommended having a good clearing available for flight paths. There was also a guy that said make sure if you build anywhere near your house that your soffits are WELLLL buttoned up. He built one attached to his house under an end gable to keep it shielded from the weather. Apparently, the bats enjoyed their new home so much that it started to get a little crowded and they found a way in through a soffet. He didn't realize it until it was too late...part of his ceiling started to sag and stain from a HUGE pile of guano in his attic.
Trent,thanks for the links, I am looking them over to decide on a plan.
Tim/Mike that is exactly what I am looking for the information if anyone has had success with them and how to get the bats attracted to them. I definitely want them away from the house, just the thought of the damage can be done from the guano is enough to make me cringe.
Tim, did you do anything special to attract them, or just hang the house?
Tim/Mike that is exactly what I am looking for the information if anyone has had success with them and how to get the bats attracted to them. I definitely want them away from the house, just the thought of the damage can be done from the guano is enough to make me cringe.
Tim, did you do anything special to attract them, or just hang the house?
I didn't do anything special, and from what I've read there isn't much you can do to attract them. They are basically looking for a clean, dry, and cozy place that is near a food source. For me, the creek is a natural attraction for them and they were already well established in the area - but it still took them a while to take to the house. If you already have bats in the neighborhood, find a tall straight tree without many limbs (like a pine) that isn't close to your house and put the bat house about 20' up the tree. Then all you can do is cross your fingers and wait. The only other "natural" mosquito control that I know of is to eliminate any areas of standing water near your home (easier said than done!). And by standing water, it doesn't mean that it always has water. It can be a place a puddle forms after rain. The eggs will lie dormant and wait for the next rain.
Temperature is supposedly the single most important thing. Most info I found suggested a general rule of 7-hours of continuous sunlight (in addition to painting it black in our region) to keep it warm. My understanding was that my pine-filled backyard was not an ideal location, as it still has too little light to warm the box.
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/bathouses/attractingbats.pdf
Some GREAT instructions including detailed photos:
http://www.batconservation.org/content/buildyourown.htm
Also from that site: [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Southeastern United States
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In southeastern states you can attract certain bats species if the house is placed in total sun, other species prefer partial sun, and some bats use bat houses placed in total shade. You can paint your bat house white, or leave it a natural color. If you paint your bat house, use a non-toxic, latex paint and only paint the outside of the house. Remember that where you mount your bat house plays a major role in the internal temperature. Houses can be mounted on such structures as poles, sides of buildings and tall trees without obstructions. Houses placed on poles and structures tend to become occupied quicker than houses placed on trees. Houses should face south to southeast to take advantage of the morning sun. Your bat house should be mounted at least 15 feet above the ground, the higher the house the greater the chance of attracting bats. Bats return from migration and awaken from hibernation as early as March in most of the U.S., but stay active year-round in the extreme southern U.S. They will be abundant through out the summer and into late fall. Most houses used by bats are occupied in the first 1 to 6 months (during the first summer the bat house was erected). If bats do not roost in your house by the end of the second summer, move the house to another location.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What types of bats can I expect to see in my bat house in the Southeastern states?
[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Some of the most common bat species to occupy bat houses in southeastern states are as followed: southeastern bat (Myotis austroriparius), evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), and Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), all of which are light to dark brown in color. For more information on identifying bats check out "Stokes Beginners Guide to Bat Identification."[/FONT]
http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/bathouses/attractingbats.pdf
Some GREAT instructions including detailed photos:
http://www.batconservation.org/content/buildyourown.htm
Also from that site: [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Southeastern United States
[/FONT][FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In southeastern states you can attract certain bats species if the house is placed in total sun, other species prefer partial sun, and some bats use bat houses placed in total shade. You can paint your bat house white, or leave it a natural color. If you paint your bat house, use a non-toxic, latex paint and only paint the outside of the house. Remember that where you mount your bat house plays a major role in the internal temperature. Houses can be mounted on such structures as poles, sides of buildings and tall trees without obstructions. Houses placed on poles and structures tend to become occupied quicker than houses placed on trees. Houses should face south to southeast to take advantage of the morning sun. Your bat house should be mounted at least 15 feet above the ground, the higher the house the greater the chance of attracting bats. Bats return from migration and awaken from hibernation as early as March in most of the U.S., but stay active year-round in the extreme southern U.S. They will be abundant through out the summer and into late fall. Most houses used by bats are occupied in the first 1 to 6 months (during the first summer the bat house was erected). If bats do not roost in your house by the end of the second summer, move the house to another location.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]What types of bats can I expect to see in my bat house in the Southeastern states?
[/FONT] [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Some of the most common bat species to occupy bat houses in southeastern states are as followed: southeastern bat (Myotis austroriparius), evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis), eastern pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus), big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus), and Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), all of which are light to dark brown in color. For more information on identifying bats check out "Stokes Beginners Guide to Bat Identification."[/FONT]
I know they REALLY like gable vents. I had to clean the dirt dauber nests off the one on my old home last year. It's in a wooded location and near a creek. I wasn't expecting the lil' critters whilst up on a ladder 12 feet in the air. Definitely a Cottonelle moment.
Nonetheless, I support the furtherance of their habitats. I hope I can get some put up around here. They're kinda nice to have flying around the pool at night. :icon_thum
Nonetheless, I support the furtherance of their habitats. I hope I can get some put up around here. They're kinda nice to have flying around the pool at night. :icon_thum
Just get a swimming pool - they love to dive for a drink at dusk - scares the wife 1/2 to death :gar-La;
They really like a 2980 sq ft two story with ceder siding. Tonight for the third time this week, we had a bat inside the house. I finally figured where they were getting into the house. The fan in the guest bedroom had pulled away from the ceiling, due to truss twisting. Fan is now down, and opening is covered. Went on outside and taped around AC lines where they can pass through soffit. Truly amazing to watch them fly. As soon as I opened the back door, he went straight out it. To say the very least, wife isn't happy sharing HER house with a bat.
Good luck on your project Gary. :eusa_clap Bat houses are on my ever increasing future project list.:eusa_doh: As you do your research you may discover as I did that Mama bats kick out Papa bats when baby bats make their appearence hence a second house for "bachelor" quarters might be a good idea. When I was a kid we would take a peeble, tie it in a handkerchief and toss it in the air when bats were about. Apparently the fluttering cloth is read by a bat's sonar as moth's wings and you can see them dive for it. :wink_smil On a hot summer night my neighbors can see their nutty woodworker neighbor on the lawn throwing a handkerchief in the air. Even a half century later, some folks never lose the simple joys of their youth. :rotflm:
Has anyone turned up any real research on this actually keeping down the mosquito population? When I researched this a few years ago, it became apparent that bats will primarily eat much larger insects -- more reward for the same work. We have bats and VERY few moths. For that matter, it is rare to see any flying insects near the streetlights - the bats get them all. We still have plenty of mosquitoes, though :no:
I think you may have a good point. Most of the bats I see in the evening are flying at about 10' + altitude unless the pickings are very slim. A lot of skeeters tend to stay closer to the ground looking for them hot-blooded mammal creatures, especially the 2-legged kind! Best skeeter repellent I have found is the LOML. As long as she is near with her pretty smell, my sweaty body gets along pretty good (as long as I wait to shower 'til after I go inside for the eve). Now, biting flies is another matter. I think they can smell sweat a quarter mile away!
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