Building for Bats
Did you know that just one bat can catch between 500 and 1000 mosquitoes in one hour? Attracting bats is a great way to help control backyard pests, and many bats play a role in pollinating plants. Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus), which are found throughout the U.S., begin forming nursing colonies in April or May to care for their young.
Viewer Tip: Bat houses can be put up at any time of the year, but they are most likely to attract bats if they are installed before bats begin searching for colony spots during the spring. Now is the perfect time to think about adding a bat house to your property! Bats prefer narrow, warm areas to roost, and bat houses are usually painted a dark color to maintain warmth during the summer. If you’re looking for a do-it-yourself spring project, the National Wildlife Federation offers step-by-step instructions for constructing your own bat house: http://www.nwf.org/backyard/bathouse.cfm.
A few placement tips to keep in mind: Bats prefer a sunny location, at least 15-feet off the ground, and an ideal location has water nearby. Bat houses that are mounted on buildings tend to stay warmer and are better protected from predators; houses can also be mounted on poles. Believe it or not, bats are less attracted to houses mounted on trees!
Season: Spring
(Sources: Carla Brown, National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitat Program. “Why I Built a Bat House.” http://www.nwf.org/backyard/bathouse.cfm; Wyoming Game and Fish Department. “Little Brown Myotis.” http://gf.state.wy.us/wildlife/CompConvStrategy/Species/Mammals/PDFS/Little%20Brown%20Myotis.pdf; eNature.com. “Little Brown Bat.” http://www.enature.com/flashcard/show_flash_card.asp?recordNumber=MA0008; Bat Conservation Internationa. “Criteria for Successful Bat Houses.” http://www.batcon.org/pdfs/BatHouseCriteria.pdf)
