Look what I found when I went to put an umbrella away.

BeeMaster2 · December 13, 2018, 06:10:21 PM

I went to put a new umbrella away for winter and my wife said to open it up and make sure there are no wasps nest in it. While I was looking inside the umbrella, my wife asks what is that brown spot. It is a bat. We really need bats here to eat the misquotes, sometimes they can get bad.
I put it in a box, it was really cold, hardly moved.

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I decided to build a bat house for it and hopefully it will bring its friends home.
Here is a picture. It is 2 foot by 4 foot and it has 2 layers.
I put the bat at the bottom and it crawled right in. Hope it likes it.
The inside is stained black. I let it sit for 2 days. I?m hoping the smell isn?t too bad.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · December 13, 2018, 06:12:55 PM

Here is the finished bat box.

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Jim

herbhome · December 13, 2018, 07:08:54 PM

Really cool Jim,

We have bats that live in the rock crevices and bluffs. Does my heart good to see them before sundown patrolling the place.

BeeMaster2 · December 13, 2018, 07:16:48 PM

We usually see them over the pond in the evenings, sometimes they dip down and get a drink.
Jim

jtcmedic · December 13, 2018, 08:37:00 PM

Bee and bats. Well done

BeeMaster2 · December 14, 2018, 07:44:10 AM

Thanks JT. The question is will they use it?
Jim

Kathyp · December 14, 2018, 12:05:56 PM

Mine live in the basement. They are small, but we have lots of them. They do make a mess though.

jalentour · December 14, 2018, 12:21:32 PM

We see bats at the farmhouse in the evening. Seems like a pair more often than not. Cigar smoke doesn't seem to bother them.

The15thMember · December 14, 2018, 01:21:09 PM

Aw, poor little guy! I love bats. We see them in the evenings in the summertime here, but I'm not sure where they live. I've always wanted to have a bat box, but I've just never done it.

BeeMaster2 · December 14, 2018, 02:15:31 PM

If you build a bat house, you need a location that their predators can not draw up and get them. I built one about 30 years ago and hung it on a tree. I took it down a couple of years ago. They never used it because the tree was too easy to climb. You also want a big gap below the bat house for them to drop and open up their wings without hitting anything. That may have also been a problem for the old house, being that it was attached to the tree.
Jim

herbhome · December 14, 2018, 03:02:21 PM

Jim,

Check this out. I'm thinking about building one of these. See any inaccuracies?
https://www.birdmanusa.com/how-to-attract-bats/

iddee · December 14, 2018, 08:05:19 PM

I have one Bat house here at home, 2 on son's farm, 1 at the lake and another to go up at the new lake house. Bats are better than mosquitoes any night.

Acebird · December 16, 2018, 09:27:41 AM

In the north you take a good size log and cut a saw tooth pattern with a chain saw. Hang it with a rope and keep it from turning in the wind. The more the merrier.

BeeMaster2 · December 16, 2018, 10:33:38 AM

Quote from: herbhome on December 14, 2018, 03:02:21 PM
Jim,

Check this out. I'm thinking about building one of these. See any inaccuracies?
https://www.birdmanusa.com/how-to-attract-bats/

Looks good Herb. It is important to seal up any air leaks so that the wind does not blow through it.
Jim

BeeMaster2 · December 16, 2018, 10:34:41 AM

Quote from: iddee on December 14, 2018, 08:05:19 PM
I have one Bat house here at home, 2 on son's farm, 1 at the lake and another to go up at the new lake house. Bats are better than mosquitoes any night.

Are all of those bat houses full of bats?
Jim

BeeMaster2 · December 16, 2018, 10:37:16 AM

Quote from: Acebird on December 16, 2018, 09:27:41 AM
In the north you take a good size log and cut a saw tooth pattern with a chain saw. Hang it with a rope and keep it from turning in the wind. The more the merrier.

Do you have a picture of one? Are the cuts just for the bats to hang on to or are they deep enough for them to hide in?
Jim

minz · December 16, 2018, 12:32:03 PM

Pretty funny-look what I hung up this weekend
https://postimg.cc/cgtP4GqJ
there a bunch of plans on line at BCI. I was going to post a link but now I see that somebody purchased the rights. According to the book I am 1 inch too small in the inside. I built it out of scrap t1-11 and some cedar given to me. Tinned the roof with flashing from my covers.

iddee · December 16, 2018, 02:21:20 PM

I don't know if all are being used. None are at this time. Our little brown bats migrate south for the winter. Maybe you caught one of mine.

BeeMaster2 · December 16, 2018, 03:59:57 PM

Quote from: minz on December 16, 2018, 12:32:03 PM
Pretty funny-look what I hung up this weekend
https://postimg.cc/cgtP4GqJ
there a bunch of plans on line at BCI. I was going to post a link but now I see that somebody purchased the rights. According to the book I am 1 inch too small in the inside. I built it out of scrap t1-11 and some cedar given to me. Tinned the roof with flashing from my covers.

Looks good. Let us know if they use it?
Jim

Acebird · December 16, 2018, 07:05:28 PM

Quote from: sawdstmakr on December 16, 2018, 10:37:16 AM

Do you have a picture of one? Are the cuts just for the bats to hang on to or are they deep enough for them to hide in?
Jim

I don't know how effective they are. I never made one. I thought I would find a pic on the net that I could reference but no luck. The bottom cut is straight and the top is curve up. Most likely they are only used by the bats in the summer because it doesn't provide much protection.