In spring, bats look for places to give birth and raise their babies. Therefore, winter is a good time to hang a bat box. You can buy a bat box, or you can learn how to build a bat box and make it into a family project. Bat boxes can avoid the need for bat removal later.
How To Build a Bat Box
Building a bat shelter is something the entire family can do together. This type of box is simple to construct with some household items, including:
- Plywood
- Caulking gun
- Power tools, such as a drill
- Paint for decorating the bat box
Remember to paint the inside of the bat box black, as bats feel most comfortable in dark, enclosed spaces. A bat box also needs a bar for the bats to grip with their feet. The inside should be rough so the bats can crawl inside more easily. The dimensions of the bat box should be 14 inches wide by 24 inches tall, with small compartments inside. Be sure to include vents so the air can flow through.
Where To Hang a Bat Box
Where you hang your bat box influences how likely bats are to move in. When hanging the box, choose the side of a building or invest in a tall pole to keep the bats safe from predators. Avoid hanging the box on the side of a tree, as this could make them easy prey for owls, hawks, and snakes. Place the box in a lightly trafficked area of your yard to protect yourself and your family from pathogens in the bats' droppings.
When you hang the box, it should face south or southwest so it receives as much sunlight as possible to maintain an elevated temperature inside. Also, you should install it at least three metres above the ground so that predators cannot reach any young bats, as the pups are quite vulnerable. Placing the box on a flat pole can also discourage climbing predators. Depending on the size of your box, it may house between 50 and 200 bats.
Why Bat Boxes Are Important to Bats
Many species of bats are endangered. There are many different factors that contribute to the decline of the bat population, but one of the most significant is habitat loss. Trees are cut down for development, and bats have fewer roosting options. Bat boxes provide bats with alternative roosting sites.
How a Bat Box Can Benefit You
As a homeowner, you don't want bats inside your house, so attracting them to your property with a bat box may seem counterintuitive. In fact, providing bats with an alternative roost could deter them from your house, thus avoiding the need for bat control.
Bats on your property can also help with pest control. They eat many insects that are harmful to you and your plants, including mosquitos.
How To Attract Bats to the Box
It could take a year or more for bats to find the box and move in, but there are things you can do to encourage them. While you can put the box on a pole, boxes mounted to the side of a building seem to attract more bats. Make sure the bat box gets at least six hours of sunlight out of every 24. Consider putting up more than one box as this may attract more bats.
What Bats Do in the Winter
- Some bats perform a yearly migration, traveling south where it is warm during the winter and then returning north in the spring.
- Most Canadian bat species hibernate in the winter. They look for warm places to roost because their body temperatures drop during hibernation to conserve energy.
- Bats mate in the fall, but fertilization is delayed until spring.
When You Need Help Beyond How To Build a Bat Box
If bats do get into your house, they need to be removed humanely and in compliance with applicable laws. Contact us for professional wildlife control in Ajax.
