In article , "Noctaire"
wrote:

Ok, I'd REALLY like to put up a bathouse in my backyard, but I'm not
thinking there's anywhere I can put it. Just how finicky are bats about the
positioning and location of the house?

James


From an often quoted bathouse leaflet: "A bat house needs to be warm, so
it's important to place it in the sun. A tree is not a good location. The
best place is on the south side of a house, about 15-18' from the ground,
so bats can easily fly in and out, and predators cannot get near them.
Bats also need to be within a 1/4 mile of water, which provides an ample
food source because water attracts many insects."

See the North American Bathouse Research Project webpages:
http://www.batcon.org/bhra/index.html

In some of the local parks, bathouses are mounted on poles in sunny
woodland openings. If anyone is going to build a pole-mounted birdfeeder,
it might be worth extending the height of the pole to 15 or so feet to do
double-duty for a bathouse up top.

Reportedly, bat guano, available in finer garden stores, sprinkled around
the ground below the area of the bathouse, functions as a lure for bats
searching for a residence. While I have some doubt they can really smell
garden guano while flapping around in the sky gobbling down insects, it
wouldn't hurt anything to try it.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

On Thu, 20 Feb 2003 11:12:18 -0500, "Noctaire"
wrote:

Ok, I'd REALLY like to put up a bathouse in my backyard, but I'm not
thinking there's anywhere I can put it. Just how finicky are bats about the
positioning and location of the house?

James


Can't say I'm a bat expert but I do watch a lot of discovery. I think
it depends on which species of bats and your location. The general
rule of thumb is as paghat said. But when I did that in central
Florida, nary a bat after two years. Then I moved it to the trunk of
a china berry tree, had bats within two weeks. Later an entomologists
from UCF told me any live bat going into the bat house when it was on
the south and sunny location it was in would have been poached bat by
noon. Do you have a little more information, like your general
location and which bat you're trying to attract?

zhan

In article , "Noctaire"
wrote:

I've looked at some of the formal sites like NABRP and such but I've heard
bats are not quite so finicky. A buddy of mine mentioned that an
acquaintance of his has bathouses hanging along the side of an 8 foot tall
fence and the hotel never has a vacancy.

James

I've know some people do put them head-high on regular fences
successfully, the only problem being that cats & other predators can get
them, & children inevitably tempted to harrass the inhabitant(s).

I've also read contradictory things about finickiness. For instance, too
little "slant" to the inner walls making it harder to hang inside, causes
them to be quickly abandoned even if occasionally used. But the generally
promulgated idea that they MUST have a sun-heated location seems at odds
with their fondness for chilly caverns, so makes me wonder. I presume the
guidelines are about maximizing likelihood of having one's batbox(es) used
by bats, but are not iron-clad rules.

I've had a probably impractical plan to mount a custom batbox against a
window in such a way that I can remove a blind on my side of the window &
see bats at rest, with a dreamy hope of watching a mother bat raise a
baby.

-paghat

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

On Thu, 20 Feb 2003 14:20:26 -0500, "Noctaire"
wrote:


With all of the mosquitoes, I'd like to get a little clan of bats living in
the back here so we can get a little better control on them -- my neighbors
won't take care of their water issues and I'm tired of getting eaten alive
so....

Toss a couple mosquito dunks in thier water issues...Or call the city
and tell them they are bredding mosquitos next door. That would take
care of it fast here.

I was looking at bat houses last night. They sure don't look too
comfy! I am thinking of putting one UP. I just want to see bats again.
I used to feed them candy corn by throwing it up at the street light.
That was over 25 yrs ago and haven't seen a bat since. They could
drink at my tiny pond.
·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
jammer
((¸¸.·´ ..·´
-:¦:- ((¸¸

On Thu, 20 Feb 2003 15:27:46 -0600, jammer wrote:


Toss a couple mosquito dunks in thier water issues...Or call the city
and tell them they are bredding mosquitos next door. That would take
care of it fast here.

I was looking at bat houses last night. They sure don't look too
comfy! I am thinking of putting one UP. I just want to see bats again.
I used to feed them candy corn by throwing it up at the street light.
That was over 25 yrs ago and haven't seen a bat since. They could
drink at my tiny pond.

You fed bats candy corn? Wow! Bats are in love with their own smells and they
particularly love the heat. In Austin, TX there are two of the largest urban
bat colonies, numbering in the millions. They estimate under the Congress
Avenue Bridge there are 1.5 million female Mexican free tail bats. A bit
further up Interstate I-35 is another colony under the McNeil Bridge. They
estimate about a million under this bridge.

As a result of the way they built these bridges, having expansion joints in the
concrete for heat buckling, many bats are now being found under this type
construction. Since this finding, many municipalities are now building their
new bridges using this method. The reason is bats are losing their natural
habitat at an alarming rate.

I just love to go with my face mask, broom and shovel and scoop up many, many
bags of bat guano for free each year. I was going to do that today, but it is
pouring out. Here is a website with good information about putting up bat
houses in the different regions:

http://www.batconservation.org/conte....htm#southwest

Here are great photo's of our Austin, TX Congress Avenue Bridge where the 1.5
million bats emerge from late March till November when the females return to
Mexico to breed. They have their babies up here in TX. Sometimes the immature
males do not go down to Mexico and take their chances on survival up here where
it's somewhat colder!

Victoria

On Thu, 20 Feb 2003 13:19:32 -0700, (paghat) wrote:

I've also read contradictory things about finickiness. For instance, too
little "slant" to the inner walls making it harder to hang inside, causes
them to be quickly abandoned even if occasionally used. But the generally
promulgated idea that they MUST have a sun-heated location seems at odds
with their fondness for chilly caverns, so makes me wonder.

In the winter, caves will be above freezing anything more than a few yards from
the entrance unless they're excessively drafty. In the summer, I don't see
large numbers of bats in caves. (Pennsylvania.)

Try the Website for Bat Conservation International:

www.batcon.org/bhra/bhcriter.html

"Criteria for Bat Houses"

Emilie
NorCal

On 22 Feb 2003 03:15:49 GMT, (MLEBLANCA) wrote:

Try the Website for Bat Conservation International:

www.batcon.org/bhra/bhcriter.html

"Criteria for Bat Houses"

Emilie
NorCal

That's good and he'll find it helpful. I was just trying to find
information on the species in his area and hopefully some special
tips. Can you tell I like bats?

zhan

On Sat, 22 Feb 2003 04:50:43 GMT, zhanataya wrote:

On 22 Feb 2003 03:15:49 GMT, (MLEBLANCA) wrote:

Try the Website for Bat Conservation International:

www.batcon.org/bhra/bhcriter.html

"Criteria for Bat Houses"

Emilie
NorCal

That's good and he'll find it helpful. I was just trying to find
information on the species in his area and hopefully some special
tips. Can you tell I like bats?

zhan

When you head west, eventually, stop over and I'll show you bats flying around
my backyard every night, March till November.

That's good and he'll find it helpful. I was just trying to find
information on the species in his area and hopefully some special
tips. Can you tell I like bats?

zhan

When you head west, eventually, stop over and I'll show you bats flying around
my backyard every night, March till November.

Thanks V, I'll hold you to that. I'm hoping to go back for a visit
late April or early May. If you're home then maybe you'll have time
for a visitor?

On Sat, 22 Feb 2003 17:06:12 GMT, zhanataya wrote:


That's good and he'll find it helpful. I was just trying to find
information on the species in his area and hopefully some special
tips. Can you tell I like bats?

zhan

When you head west, eventually, stop over and I'll show you bats flying around
my backyard every night, March till November.

Thanks V, I'll hold you to that. I'm hoping to go back for a visit
late April or early May. If you're home then maybe you'll have time
for a visitor?

Most definitely! Would love to have you and the old man!

V

On Sat, 22 Feb 2003 23:27:55 GMT, animaux
wrote:

Thanks V, I'll hold you to that. I'm hoping to go back for a visit
late April or early May. If you're home then maybe you'll have time
for a visitor?

Most definitely! Would love to have you and the old man!

V

Would you take me without him? He can't get off at that time of year.

On Sun, 23 Feb 2003 00:52:03 GMT, zhanataya wrote:

On Sat, 22 Feb 2003 23:27:55 GMT, animaux
wrote:

Thanks V, I'll hold you to that. I'm hoping to go back for a visit
late April or early May. If you're home then maybe you'll have time
for a visitor?

Most definitely! Would love to have you and the old man!

V

Would you take me without him? He can't get off at that time of year.

Of course! We can go SHOPPING!