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HomeTopics...Gardening TipsAttracting Bats
The Art and Science of Attracting Bats to Your GardenFor those of you who must contend with mosquitoes and other flying insects, consider adorning your garden or yard with a bat house. A few bats will solve your mosquito problem in a flash.
The Bat House: Useful for Attracting BatsBat houses have become increasingly popular in North America over the past fifteen years as hobbyists and researchers look for better ways to attract these amazing creatures.
Wooden houses have been the standard for some time with plastic houses a relatively recent phenomenon. Neither seems more effective than the other in attracting bats. If you're using a wooden house, the wood should be old and unpainted, while plastic enclosures must be lined with rough wood on which the bats can hang.
To increase the likelihood of bats inhabiting your bat house, etch any smooth interior surface with horizontal grooves. Some people have used hardware cloth and screening material that could help young babies hang on, thus avoiding falls.
Location, Location, LocationThe location of the bat house is an important factor in attracting bats. You can use any number of vertical structures such as trees, buildings, poles or towers. Bat houses should be approximately twelve to fifteen feet above the ground. They should have roofs that offer shade at mid-day, especially in the southern United States and Mexico. This is less of a concern in Canada and the northern U.S., where summer temperatures are milder. The most successful bat houses often face the northeast.
The Time to HangWhen erecting bat houses for the first time, hang them before April and in groups of three or more, placed fairly close together. If you plan to hang several houses, test three or four in a cluster first to see if bats are attracted to them at all. The houses don't have to be particularly large: a shelter that's two feet square and five or six inches deep can be a great nursery for many young.
Additional Measures for Attracting BatsSome people have tried collecting guano (bat droppings) and smearing it over the bat houses. This has not always been successful. If you want to try this technique, ensure that the guano is of the same bat species you're seeking to attract.
Other people have tried imparting the odors from humus or damp soil to the houses by placing the humus or soil in the houses for a time.
What Work Best?The above techniques may have little effect if some of the basic ecological requirements for bats are not met. For example, bats seem to express a preference for a mixed agricultural habitat, nearby running water and a minimum of four hours of sunshine. Before you invest in building materials, do some research on the particular bat in which you're interested.
At least three species have been attracted to bat houses successfully, including the little brown bat of southern Canada and the northern States, the big brown bat of Texas and the free-tailed bat of northern Mexico. Whatever the geographical area and bat species, you have no guarantee of attracting bats to your garden. However, continue to experiment and your next crop of mosquitoes may seem like a banquet for a hungry group of bats.
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