Wild About Wild Life

A wonderful way to control mosquitoes and insects, naturally, in your neck of the woods is with BATS!!! Yes, those weird little creatures that fly through the air and are kind of freaky looking. There are many myths surrounding these assets of nature, but that will be for another article. Knowing how to counter act our insects requires knowing what tools are available in our area to do so. Maybe you have considered housing bats for natural insect control and for pollination, but don’t know what bats are in your area to do so. Lets take a look now at what kinds of bats are in YOUR area and we hope this will be educational for you at the same time.

Northeastern States: In this area of the country you will probably see the Little Brown and the Big Brown and they do use artificial roosts or bat houses. You might also find the Evening Bat, Eastern Pipistrelle, Yuma Myotis or the Mexican free- tailed bat and these also will use bat houses. Almost any bat that lives in crevices, old buildings, attics or under bridges will likely live in a bat house. Again as in the previous article on attracting bats you can paint the bat house black or a dark shade in this section of the country and face it to the south-southeast to keep it warm.

Northwestern States: Some of the common bat species that occupy artificial roosts would be the Eastern Pipistrelle, Pallid bat, Little Brown, Big Brown, Mexican free-tailed and the Yuma myotis. Again because of the generally colder temperatures you can paint the exterior of the bat houses a darker color for heat absorption.

Southeastern States: Down here some bats like the roost in total sunlight, some in partial shade and others in total shade. You can leave the house a natural wood or paint it white with a non-toxic latex paint. Again roosts placed on buildings or poles are likely to be occupied first and if not filled by the second summer move to another location. In these states you are likely to see the Southeastern bat, Evening Bat, Big Brown and the Mexican Free-tailed.

Southwestern states: As in the Southeast some bats prefer total sunlight, others partial shade and others full shade. The most common bats in this area are the Mexican Free-tailed, Big Brown, Little Brown and a few other species that I can not find definite conformation on artificial roost usage.

Bat occupancy varies and here are a few statistics to show why we need patience.

• In some surveys bats occupy about 60% of all types of roosts. Bats are always looking for roosts and are experts at detecting all types of shelters while they are foraging at night.
• Bat houses on poles or buildings are easier for them to find and are occupied 2- 21/2 times faster than placed at other areas. 90% of these artificial homes are occupied in the first 2 years , the rest took from 3-5 years. Multi chambered homes seem to work best.
• Maintain your bat houses each year and clean out wasp and mud-dauber nests with high pressure water. DO NOT use insecticides or poisons as they will kill the bats and the babies.
• Check the houses for cracks and seal up for their use the next year and good luck on your bat houses.

**For more information on how you can naturally help your environment with the proliferation and preservation of bats, simply visit:  http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=15&products_id=331

Happy Bat-ting!!!

If you are interested in attracting bats to your garden, here are a few tips for you to follow. We will cover the different parts of the country and perhaps some of the best ways and places to mount bat houses as well as other criteria needed for your own insect controllers.

Lighting And Water To Attract Bats

Some general ideas that work in most places are keep your patio lights and any outdoor lights you have on all night. These lights attract insects and that provides a food source for your bats. Also a birdbath with fresh water would be something good for bats as they need fresh water to drink and it keeps them up a little higher to keep them out of a predators way. Okay, now to some specific information.

The Bats Roost – Where To Place Them

Bats are always looking for new roosts and the primary thing for us to remember is patience. It may take up to two years to establish a roost. So consider were to put up an artificial roost and in what direction to face it and if the OUTSIDE Only of the bat house should be painted. The bat house should be facing to the south-southeast for at least seven hours of direct sunlight. If there is a permanent stream or pond within a quarter mile this would also be great for them and if there is a woods or forest tree line within 100 feet to hide in in case of predators also good. However not all locales support this, so alternatives will be needed. For example a birdbath with fresh water would work or a garden pool would also be agreeable to them.

Temperature – An Important Consideration

Temperature is a critical requirement for bats. In the northern and central parts of the country the bat roosts need heat and lots of it, especially in the winter. You can paint the outside of the bat house a darker color with a non-toxic latex paint and try to provide the roost with at least 6-8 hours of sunlight, preferably eight to twelve hours would be better. Make sure the edges are caulked to prevent air leaks as this will cause the heat to leak out. Most bats have a winter hibernation place to go but you may be lucky and they will stay in the roost, but remember if you disturb them in any way during hibernation they will probably die.

In the southern climes paint the outside with a lighter more reflective color to remove some of the heat from the roost. If you mount the bat houses on a pole in the south, put up two of them and face one north and one south. If the bats occupy the north one more, in extremely hot temperatures between 95-100 and above a 100 degrees you can put up a tin roof over the top of the houses and if the temperatures run between 95-100 it is highly recommended to paint the roost a medium color and a white roof and over a 100 paint a light shade and a white roof. Again temperature is critical for the summer roosts and nurseries. Remember some bats have a winter hibernation area and they will return the next season.

The Importance of Proper Mounting

Where you mount a bat house is critical and they will be occupied quicker if on a building or pole. Again they need to be high enough to be beyond the reach of most predators. Between 12-25 feet at the lowest and maybe better at around twenty feet if possible. New roosts need to be up before winter so they can be found in the spring when the bats come out to eat after hibernation. If the roost is not occupied by the second year try moving it to a different location. Remember, patience is necessary if you want to have bats around. A great natural insect controller.

* For More Information On Roosts For Your Local Bats To Help With Natural Insect Control And Pollination, Please Visit: http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=15&products_id=331

Our featured wildlife house for this week is The Bat Mansion – Bat House! The Bat Mansion – Bat House  houses several hundred bats in five chambers plus an attic, which provides for greater temperature stability.  Bats seek most comfortable temperture by moving up or down inside the house.  A popular house because of its large capacity.

This can be fun and educational for the whole family and at the same time, provide natural pollination and insect control as an alternative to the ever decreasing polularity of using chemical or non-organic substances.

For more information on where you can aquire a Bat Mansion – Bat House of your own, visit us at:  http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=40

Be a part of the solution and enjoy!

The Bat Mansion