All the info you need to understand our furry little friends.

BATS, BATS EVERYWHERE!

What Can I Do?

Even though much of the Indiana bat’s future relies on protection from the government, there are still ways for you to help.

BUILDING A BIRD HOUSE IS COOL… BUT BUILDING A BAT HOUSE IS AWESOME!  BE THE TALK OF THE TOWN WITH YOUR NEW CREATION!

 

You heard right, A BAT HOUSE!  Not only are they cheap and easy to make, but they are stylish and unique as well.  Bat houses range from small, very simple styles to playhouse-size mega complexes.  Of course the larger the house, the more costly and time consuming it will be, but the small models are very affordable.  Check out the models below and put your carpenter skills to work (And it’s a great way to rub the rust off your poor neglected tools!).

Nothing wrong with a little elbow grease!

THE SUBURBAN (GABLE VENTILATION)  BAT HOUSE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are some pretty small, yet VERY effective houses.  These things are cool.  Not only can you stain or paint them to match your house, but they actually keep bats out of your attic while allowing your house to breathe.  That’s right, your house has to breathe.  That’s why you see vents on the end (gable) of your house.  Air enters in the soffits below the gutters and rises through the attic and exits through the gable vents. Air flow is the main factor that attracts bats to gable vents. Bats can sit in these vents and have air constantly moving over them. Traditional bat houses are simply wooden boxes and have no ventilation and no air flow whatsoever. This is why bats prefer to roost in gable vents over traditional bat houses.  Unfortunately for us, many times bats are able to penetrate the gable vents and enter our home.  They climb through the vent and spend the rest of the season inside your comfy home.  When you install this bat house over your attic vent, it gives the bats a place to roost and prevents them from entering your home.  The key here is that the suburban bat house uses a screen to keep the bats from getting through the vent.  The screen still allows air to pass in and out of your attic efficiently, but the holes are too small for bats, spiders, and other insects to crawl through.  For plans to build your own ventilation bat house, check out the website below:

 

http://www.batguys.com/resources/suburban-bat-house.html (html format)

http://www.batguys.com/resources/Suburban-Bat-House-Plans.pdf (Adobe PDF)

THE TRADITIONAL BAT HOUSE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditional bat houses are fun and easy.  They might not be

effective quite as often as the suburban bat house, but if a

bat needs a place to sleep, this would be greatly appreciated.

I have made plans available for a basic, simple house and

also a plan for a little larger house.  To access the plans,

click on the link below.

THE ‘HILTON’ OF BAT HOUSES

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is for all of you who consider yourselves to be true environmentalists.  While these houses can get quite large and take up a decent amount of space, the rewards are worth the effort.  These would make great science class projects.  The are definitely going to be more fun (and affordable) if there are several individuals involved.  This would make a great Eagle Scout project or be a fun project for the whole troop to work on some weekend.  If you go this route, you are not only going to house a couple of individual bats, but you might just get a whole colony to move in.  If you tackle one of these, PLEASE send me pictures of your finished product to be displayed on the webpage!  I have yet to find published plans for these because each one is designed differently to express the creator’s artistic styles and optimize the materials that they have available.  Go ahead and get a little creative!

This 84-year-old bat tower in Comfort, Texas, is still being used by Mexican free-tailed bats and cave myotis. Only three of the 16 towers designed by Dr. Charles Campbell survive.  Read more here: www.batcon.org/bhresearcher/bv10n1-04.html.

This is the bat house at the University of Florida.  You can read more about it here: www.floridabats.org/CBH_Articles/UF-BatHouse.htm.

CLICK HERE to go to the plans