Batty Bat Houses
- Rachel Hoppe
- Feb 18, 2020
- 4 min read
What comes to mind when you think of bats? Perhaps Halloween, Batman himself or maybe you think more extremely to a blood sucking creature, which couldn't be further from the truth. Around the world bats take care of eliminating thousands and thousands of bugs every night. Some species play a crucial role in dispersing seeds and even pollination. Due to simple ignorance, use of pesticides, loss of habitat, and disease many colonies have been and continue to be threatened.
According to the Kentucky department of Wildlife resources, there have been sixteen documented bat species here in Kentucky. Most are commonly found throughout the state and other parts of the country.
• Big Brown Bat
• Brazilian free-tailed bat
• Eastern Red Bat
• Eastern small-footed Bat
• Evening Bat
• Gray Bat
• Northern long-eared bat
• Rafinesque's Big-Nosed Bat
• Seminole Bat
• Southeastern Mytosis
• Tricolored Bat
• Virginia Big-Eared Bat
The gray bat, the Indiana bat, and the Virginia Big-Eared Bat are listed as federally endangered.
The gray bat
Photo provided by istockphoto.com
The Indiana Bat
Photo provided by fws.gov
The Virginia Big-Eared Bat
Photo provided by wikipedia
Because of the threats listed above there has been a big push in conservation to preserve and safe guard colonies. One effective and easy way to do so is to provide an artificial roost area in your backyard. There are six species of bats in our area that are known to use bat houses.
• Little Brown Bat
• Big Brown Bat
• Southeastern Bat
• Northern and Eastern Long-eared Bat
• Evening Bat
• Brazilian Free-tailed Bat
I’m going to focus on three species of bats that we’ve seen and experienced here on the farm, two of which have been known to inhabit bat house.
According to https://fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/Little-Brown-Bat.aspx, the Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus) is found throughout North America and grows to be about 3.5 inches in length.
Photo provided by wikipedia
During the warmer, summer months they are found in forested areas and near caves during the colder winter months. They are also known to use human constructed structures. One major threat to this little bat is the fatal White-Nose syndrome.
The second bat, the Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus), is one of the largest bats found in Kentucky.
According https://fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/Big-Brown-Bat.aspx, the Big Brown Bat is found throughout North America and is the most common bat species to encounter humans. Like the Little Brown Bat, the Big Brown Bat is known to habit human made structures and is also susceptible to White-Nose Syndrome.
The final bat we have encountered here is the Eastern Red bat (Lasiurus borealis).
Photo provided by wikipedia
These bats can grow up to 5 inches long and, like the above two, are found throughout North America. According to https://fw.ky.gov/Wildlife/Pages/Eastern-Red-Bat.aspx, these bats are solitary tree dwellers. They rarely form colonies and feed on a variety of insects. Here on the farm we’ve actually had them fall out of the trees, either due to being young or a drastic change in temperature.
Now to discuss the use of bat houses and ways to attract bats to your area. As stated above, the loss of habitat is a major threat to bats of all species, and bat houses are a great solution! Bat houses are used for two basic purposes:
1. Small boxes (our boxes are 15”x 9.2”x 3.2” and are double chambered): Small bat boxes are accepted by mainly males and non-reproductive females.
2. Larger boxes: are used for maternity colonies. Attracting a maternity is the most difficult because they choose the same location year after year to rear their young.
Attracting bats to your bat boxes takes diligence and observation. It may take up to a year and half to attract any bats.
Location, Location, Location
The most important factor is sunlight! According to ‘Country Wisdom & Know-How’ from the editors of Storey Books, a recent study by Pennsylvania State university found that boxes that received seven plus hours of sunlight were successful in attracting maternity colonies. It is also crucial to determine the proper height of the boxes. Normally 12ft-20ft is acceptable and allows the bat to successfully drop down and take flight. It has also been noted that locations near permanent water sources tend to attract bats. The best time to hang bat boxes is between the months of January and April or in the fall. During these times the bats are heading to hibernate or coming out of hibernation.
While you can build these houses, time may be an issue and fortunately there are a wide variety available locally and online. We bought ours off of Amazon.com (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07RWBGV9J/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
We placed our houses facing south/southwest, about 12 feet up on trees. Some sources say its best to place bat houses on existing structures but we’re going to try the trees first!
Bats and Rabies: Common Misconception
One of the most common misconceptions about bats is regarding rabies. Rabies, a contagious, and fatal viral diseases spread among mammals through saliva, is most commonly seen in foxes, raccoons, dogs, and skunks. Fewer than .05% of bats actually contract rabies, and according to ‘Country Wisdom & Know-How’ fewer than 25 American have contracted rabies from bats in the last 50 years. Even if a bat contracts rabies they seldomly become aggressive like the above mentioned animals but will still bite if provoked. The best rule: never handle a wild animal with bare hands or at all.
I’m hoping with some patience we will attract some bats to our bat houses!
***** I do not own the rights to the photos of the bats. Credit to specific sites have been given below pictures.
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