Bat Houses

 

Important considerations if you want a successful project:

#1  Bat boxes need to be constructed very sturdy, with heavy weatherproof materials

#2  Seams need to be sealed with weatherproof caulk

#3  Crevices or openings need to be less than 3/4 inch. Even  5/8" is big enough for most of our bats, and larger chambers will make a very cozy shelter for yellow-jacket and wasp nests

#4  In the west side of Washington State, protection from weather appears to be more important than placing bat houses on the south or 'sunny side' of a building.

#5  Higher is better: the bottom of the box should be at least 12 feet above the ground

#6  By far the most successful place to put a bat box is on a building (barn, garage, house) and not too far from trees (10 - 30 feet).

#7  A tall and sturdy pole is the next best placement, and boxes mounted on trees are rarely used by bats

#8  Bat boxes and houses must be kept in good repair!

#9  If don't have bats where you plan to put the bat house, they probably won't move in from other areas, but...

#10  If you meet the conditions of  #1 - #9, you will have a good chance at having bats in your bat box!

 

Getting started

 

Choose a design within your budget and construction skills.  It help to have the flat pieces cut on a table saw  -- if you have a table saw, you already know this. If you do not have a table saw, find someone who does and have them cut the pieces for you. Some lumber stores (and home depot stores) will cut up the  plywood you buy from them for a small charge or for free.

 

Links to plans, ideas, and the bat house builders forum...

 

Standard single-chamber flat bat boxes that are the most common ones you see online and in garden stores are not the best for this area. A few bats use some of the ones I've inspected, but they ranked last in the studies we've done in western Washington.  The Uncle George Jr. (or George Jr.) bat box is easy to build,  small enough to mount in many locations, and is well received by the more common bats of the PNW -- California myotis and Little brown bats.

 

The Rocket Box designs are winners for the Northwest, and is the one I recommend if you have to mount on a pole. The Dual-chamber Rocket box is even better, most of the ones we have installed get used at least by a few bats, and others in western Washington have reported the same results. It looks like a giant bottle rocket when standing out in field. Another very good site for construction details for a Single Rocket box is here: http://native-wildlife-gardening.com/rocket-box-bat-house-plans .

 

The bat house builders forum is an excellent resource, and was started by someone in southern Washington.

 

South Coast Bat Action Team (British Columbia): www.scbat.org/bat-biology/bat-boxes-2/

 

 

Here are photos of some of our larger projects:  http://nwbats.com/fl_structures/

 

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