How many have ben successful with bat houses?
madtripper
19 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (35)
madtripper
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agocantstopgardening
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
How Many of Your Landscaping Goals Have You Met?
Comments (21)my goals were/are \- this is working for me so far as I can tell, but everything's very new. ~~~ go with a cottage rose garden loose romantic style, while using plants that do well in my climate. \- I found plants that I like that are romantic but drought\-tolerant, so I think as I get better at gardening and the garden matures, that this goal will be reached. ~~~ chose plants that are mostly native or drought\-tolerant and if possible hummingbird friendly \- this has mostly worked out. I'm still doing the throw plants and see if they live method, but some things like agapanthus, penstemon and some other things have done really well and the hummingbirds love them. ~~~ herb pot area \- the basil has been a resounding success. I haven't actually used any of the other herbs, but I bought 2 more basil because we use it so much. The pots look cute by the back door, too. ~~~ have two seating areas, one as a rose arbor, the other, some type of simple bench under the sakura tree. \- I have the spot roughly laid out for the arbor, but I'm waiting on buying an arbor. Mostly due to me being scared to spend $200 on an arbor, which is rather silly considering the amount I spent on roses I don't really have room for. ;) \- I'm going to wait until the sakura tree gets bigger to put a bench near it, so... maybe 5 years or so. We'll see. ~~~ I want to have stuff that blooms year round. \- I'm so new I don't really know what plants I have will survive, so this will have to be something to ponder gradually. So far, I'm really loving the roses, nepeta, sakura and irises. We'll see how the other plants do. I could use more fall/winter flowers, but I'm still having problems with camellias. ~~~ eventually I'd like to have a pergola off the back of the house. ~~~ sometime soon\-ish, I want to have some stepping stones from the driveway into the back sideyard,... and have a mostly older HT bed there. (front yard) I think I can do this pretty soon. But I have to get the irrigation in first. I've already bought the HTs which will come this fall and next spring and sit in the pot ghetto till I'm satisfied. ~~~ My next main goal is just to evaluate the roses I have and try to learn better about how to water properly and not kill things. My crepe myrtle looks a bit upset and I think I killed one of my sansaquas... my almost dead camellia in the front is recovering, though. ~~~ gradually trying to improve my heavy clay soil...See MoreBat house?
Comments (2)I operate a bat exclusion company in central Florida. I get many requests from people that sound like this: "can you please trap some bats for me and put them in my bat house?" It doesn't work that way! The bats have to find the bat house on their own, and they are more likely to do so if you follow the BCI guidelines posted above. Also, this post proves that people want bats. If you do have bats in your house, it might be a blessing! Don't be so quick to try to get rid of them. If you do want to exclude them, make sure it's done right, and that none are harmed. Here is a link that might be useful: Bat Removal & Control in Florida...See MoreI Think I Have a Bat! Holy Bat Box!
Comments (18)What height is your box at? Here are some hints I looked up at batmangement.com Common design/construction problems Bad designs are simply flawed from the start. They are often too small overall and contain crevices too large. Sometimes a critical detail is omitted, such as a landing plate. Usually these boxes cannot compete with a modern design, even after being upgraded by a creative hobbyist. Bad construction is a different matter, usually the box can be successful after some paint, caulk, extra screws, and extra roughening. * A single chamber box. Bats simply prefer larger structures which offer more stable temperatures. * Factory smooth interior crevices. All interior wood must be roughened for bats to readily cling to. Some commercial boxes staple screening to the inside of the box which may eventually fall off. A box seen for sale at a major hardware store has only one groove on the "landing plate"; this is totally unacceptable. * Unprotected roof. Roofs without shingles may last only a few seasons, once the roof is compromised the box will be incapable of retaining heat and fall into disuse. * Nailed together with unsealed seams. This type of box will warp and separate at the seams allowing unwanted ventilation and disuse. * Unpainted, unprotected exterior. Some manufacturers insist on leaving bat boxes unpainted. While in certain regions the natural wood color may be a suitable color, there is no good reason for the structure to go unprotected. * Old design. Bat research has proceeded at a very fast rate, thanks to improved communication among many different hobbyists and researchers. For example, a tall open-bottomed bat house is now prefered over smaller closed bottom designs which tend to attract more parasites. * Old plans. Bat house plans can be found in a variety of places, which is good. Unfortunately, many posters, books, and flyers were published years ago with now antiquated plans. Frightningly, this information is still distributed by many seemingly reputable sources. A stack of utterly horrid plans obtained from a state wildlife agency were seen distributed at a wildlife program in 2000. * "Recycled" material. Some people construct bat houses of good design but with lumber salvaged from demolished structures in effort to cut costs. As some pesticides can leave active residues for years, BCM always uses new lumber when constructing bat boxes. Common placement mistakes The greatest bat house in the world will never contain a bat unless it is placed properly in the field. In cool climates it is best to avoid shady locations at all costs. Often this limits the mounting options to strategically placed new posts or sunny chimneys. Bad placement includes the following: * Box is in a shady location, it needs a minimum of seven hours of morning sunlight. * Box mounted on a tree, rarely will the box receive enough direct sunlight in cool climates. * Box placed on a structure, directly under the eves. Again, this may be simply too shaded. * Placed too far from permanent water. Dry, arid locations are less desirable, though bats will drink from swimming pools. * Located over bright surfaces which reflect light into box. Shiny flashing or even pans to collect guano may deter use at certain times of the season. * Located near burn barrels or air vents where smoke or strong wind will disturb bats. Beware of air conditioner units which may not be active when installation occurs. * Erected where the box is prone to vandalism. * Placed in brightly lighted areas. Avoid mounting where dusk-to-dawn lights shine directly onto the box. * Erected directly along roads, where bats are vulnerable to automobile traffic during their dawn return. * No maintenance. Some mounting solutions make a quick yearly inspection into a difficult and even dangerous ordeal. Bat houses do require minor wasp and seam inspection, otherwise bats will begin to abandon the box. Be alert for a hornet invasion as well; bats will immediately abandon a bat house until these agressive insects are removed....See MoreBat house success! Now should I worry about droppings?
Comments (7)Terry, Towns that spray (and I saw a sprayer in my area 2 yrs ago) are incredibly stupid. The moaquitos are killed, and so are their natural predators. The mosquitos bounce right back. Their predators don't. That makes them spray more. The chemical companies make a bunch of $. And we imbibe low levels of nasty compounds that act on our CNS. THen we wonder why we get cancer. It's hard to stop them, but protest you must. I think if you google on it, you'll find resources that may give you info. And inform others. We can change the world, 1 child at a time, and 1 yard at a time. This is not a political statement, rather an environmental one. In the end, working with Nature is much more effectvive than working agaisnt her!...See MoreGentian_NY
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoAllshade
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agomesquiteent
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agodampflippers
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPrudence
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLauraZone5
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agomadtripper
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLauraZone5
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPrudence
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agodampflippers
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLauraZone5
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoPrudence
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agodampflippers
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agodirtgirl
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoLauraZone5
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agoNavy4Christ
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agovonyon
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agofriend
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agogot4boyz
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agogot4boyz
19 years agolast modified: 9 years agomadtripper
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agochiroptera_mama
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMsrpaul
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agodeefar
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agoeberllk
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agovonyon
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agoloomis
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agomadtripper
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agoleslie123
18 years agolast modified: 9 years agosacojules
17 years agolast modified: 9 years agointerian
14 years agolast modified: 9 years agoMax Harpster
7 years ago
Related Stories
DESIGN DETAILSThe Secret to Pocket Doors' Success
Pocket doors can be genius solutions for all kinds of rooms — but it’s the hardware that makes all the difference. See why
Full StoryMY HOUZZMy Houzz: Devotion Shows in a 19th-Century Belgian Home
A four-year renovation takes a house from bat infested to beautiful, with heavenly lightness and sweet country style
Full StoryEVENTSSee the Vermont House Where Rudyard Kipling Wrote ‘The Jungle Book’
The author penned many works here, including his children’s classic, which Disney has remade into a movie
Full StoryARCHITECTUREGet a Perfectly Built Home the First Time Around
Yes, you can have a new build you’ll love right off the bat. Consider learning about yourself a bonus
Full StoryLIFEThe Polite House: What’s an Appropriate Gift to Welcome a New Neighbor?
Etiquette expert Lizzie Post suggests the right time and best presents to introduce a new neighbor to your area
Full StoryFALL GARDENINGReflecting on a Gardening Year
Mistakes and successes, surprises and comforts. The garden helps us grow in new ways every year
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDES8 New Ways to Garden This Year
A successful garden means knowing the plants, the wildlife and yourself
Full StorySTUDIOS AND WORKSHOPS6 Artist's Studios That Model Great Design
Brush up on what makes a successful space for painting, sculpting and woodworking by checking out these inspiring outposts
Full StoryTREE HOUSESHouzz Tour: Off the Grid in a Treehouse Hideaway
This retreat for 2 is the epitome of peaceful seclusion
Full StoryTINY HOUSESHouzz Tour: A Custom-Made Tiny House for Skiing and Hiking
Ethan Waldman quit his job, left his large house and spent $42,000 to build a 200-square-foot home that costs him $100 a month to live in
Full Story
terryhathway