fit from a darker color to help absorb more warmth from the sun. Do not paint inside the house, as the bats need a rough natural surface to hang from when they are roosting during the day.
When should I put up my bat house?
You may mount your box at any time of the year, but those boxes mounted in the spring are often occupied more quickly. If you are evicting a colony of bats from a building, a box should be mounted several weeks prior to the eviction.
How do I know if I have bats in my bat house?
One easy way to find out whether or not your bat house is occupied is to look for bat guano (bat droppings) under or near the bat house. Another way is to shine a strong flashlight up into the house. It is recommended that you only do this once a week, as frequently disturbing a colony can cause them to abandon the bat house.
Should I clean my bat house?
Bat houses are relatively maintenance free, so you should not have to clean your bat house. General maintenance, such as repainting the house, should be done when the bats have left to hibernate for the winter.
I put up a bat house, but still do not have any bats. What can I do?
Attracting a colony can take some time, and many different factors are involved in the process. The first consideration is the location of the house. Is it up high enough? Is it close enough to water? Are there adequate food sources nearby? The second consideration is temperature inside the house. If the average temperature is too hot or too cold or is inconsistent, bat colonies may not stay. By limiting or increasing the amount of sunlight a house receives in order to maintain a consistent warm temperature. Other factors that affect bat house occupation include the use of pesticides nearby, human activity, and lack of vegetation.
How do I get bats out of my home?
Merely putting up a bat house will not lure a bat colony out of a house. Successfully evicting a bat colony requires a few steps. The first step is to inspect the inside of the house for small openings through which bats could enter. All openings connecting the attic or other roosting areas to inside living areas should be sealed, although entry places on the outside of the house should be left open, allowing bats to exit. At dusk, watch the bats leaving the house to locate exactly where openings are located. Be sure to scout all sides of the house as there is often more than one opening. Entry places should be covered with a plastic mesh or netting that will allow the bats to exit by crawling under the mesh, but not re-enter the house. You should not evict bats during the months of June, July, or August, because there could be many younger bats that have not developed their flight abilities and are dependent on their mothers for food. Also, remember that you will want to put up a bat house nearby several weeks before the planned eviction. It is best to put the bat house in a place close by where the bats will become accustomed to it.
What do bats eat?
Approximately 70 percent of all bats are insectivores, including the majority of North American bats. North American bats primarily feed on night flying insects, especially mosquitoes, and are known to eat beetles, moths, and leafhoppers.
Will bats harm people, pets, or birds?
It is important for people to remember that bats are wild animals and should be allowed to live in their natural environments. Bats are not aggressive animals and do not intentionally attack people or other animals, however, they will bite if touched. Birding enthusiasts should not worry about competition between bats and birds. Since bats are nocturnal, they rarely come in contact with most birds. Also, there is rarely competition for food since there is not typically a shortage of insects that are consumed by both bats and insect eating birds, such as the purple martin.
Do bats carry rabies?
Many people have serious misconceptions about bats. Perhaps one of the most popular of which is the belief that bats are vicious carriers of rabies. The fact is that bats are actually quite harmless, and do not exhibit any higher pe