Bat Boxes

[nightshade]

There was a new bat-box posted on the site ,one that mimicked the splits in trees trunks
or bark.
I thought it a good idea ,then decided to make one on a grand scale,1st problem,lack of
space!
I thought of pipe,as apparently bats will drop into uncapped pipes and die there in their hundreds
A 10"dia soil pipe with a letter-box slot, lined with wood and chicken wire,capped one end and mounted vertically either in the soil or strapped to a tree (with very small drainage holes so no predators can enter but lets water out) but I had reinvented the wheel the Warks bat group had one on their website
There was also a neat triangular summer roost,made from carpet with a roofing felt overcoat
to keep the rain out,that was nailed to a tree trunk, cheap and effective
Oh well back to the drawing board

[Wild-Woman]

I think it's brilliant that you are willing to have a go at making bat boxes.Wish I had the know how. I just have to rely on stockists who charge the earth. ww

[nightshade]

Hi WW,look on the Bat Group websites (including the newsletter pages) there are several simple to make bat boxes involving cutting only one wooden board.The trend now is to make almost flat boxes with a 15-20mm gap so that the bats can snuggle together,these should attract most types (except the ones that like to fly in and hang upside down!)
During the summer bats look for tempory roosts and have been discovered ;
behind a bat box
behind false shutters
behind a souvenier sombrero
behind a house name plaque
in bird boxes
and many more than these,a dozen or more behind a loose piece of bark on a tree!
just remember how small they are

[Jo Pedder]

Andrew McCarthy Associates have started to sell a heated bat box for (i think) £850. it is about a metre wide, triangular marine ply construction. The cool thing is that you plug it into a laptop, then program in the temperature that you want the box at across seasons, and then let it run. I think it has also been designed to have a temperature gradient through the box as well, so that there is maximum range of temp.

I've heard of a wood split box (Frank Green?) too, designed for Barbastelle Bat | Wil About Britain it has a 'normal' bat box on top, then a 'tail' of wooden slits. The slits are completely open, which apparently barbs quite like. I think he's had a woodcrete version knocked up as well.

[nightshade]

I am always suprised at some of the places bats are found.Look around as long as it does not leach out harmful or toxic chemicals it could be worth trying
This month the females will be giving birth so keep your eyes peeled
bats need friends

[MalcolmX]

i have bats that fly around at night but i would like to put up some boxes to attract them i would like some help on sighting and box construction. can anyone point me in the right direction please

[fbcpmike]

Originally Posted by MALCOLMX

i have bats that fly around at night but i would like to put up some boxes to attract them i would like some help on sighting and box construction. can anyone point me in the right direction please

We have a design for a slotted bat box you can use on this page (batbox design) on that page there are links for the design in AutoCad or pdf formats. It is meant to mimic the cracks and crevices found in old trees, and the small spaces in roofs.
The slotted design can sometimes be seen commercially made in woodcrete and is intended as a summer roost, we made and put up 6 last year. Bear in mind that if you do attract bats to your boxes you then open up legislation which will restrict what you can do, and you will then need a license to maintain the boxes. Put them up on your house and you will need to contact English Nature (that was) before you do any work on your house that will disturb the bats or their roost (the box).

If you make any boxes and treat them, use a water based treatment on the outside only, leave the inside clean bare wood. Make sure none of the nails / screws used in construction encroach into the inside. One advantage of this style of box is that you can see up into the top of the box with a torch from the ground so you will not be disturbing any residents. The need to be about 5M off the ground and I'm told south facing, although we have tried several directions to see what works best.

[nightshade]

Hello MalcomX what sortof help do you need? Many people put up bat boxes,but few are chosen, I have a single double chamber wooden box but so far have had no takers but it is there and available This is the main reason for putting them up
More bats are found in schwegler boxes than any other type especially the one with a side and bottom entry,however the wooden boxes get their fair share and I particularly like the new flatter types of box.They should be mounted at least as high as you can reach with the tips of your fingers(2-2.5mtr) and higher IF you can they need a reasonably clear flight path.
They do seem to like south facing boxes but in my limited experience south east is good .
usually the recommendation is to have 3 boxes in the same location giving them the opportunity to move around from box to box to regulate temperature (no one wants to sit in a box with an outside sun temperature of 30C) so a variation on South East or West.
My box is SW the theory being it will get the sun from around 2.00 o'clock onward and warm them up for the evenings flying
http://www.jwaller.co.uk/batgroup/default.asp This is my favourite site but there are many others as good I hope this helps if not just ask

[nightshade]

Just as an aside if you have bats in your house or garden tell your local bat group
IN CONFIDENCE it helps to build up a picture of the distribution of these endangered mammals it may even find some of the bats thought to have been pushed to extinction
Buy or borrow a bat detector and sit with a glass of something cool listening to your new mammalian friends

[henrya]

Quote
is to have 3 boxes in the same location giving them the opportunity to move around from box to box to regulate temperature (no one wants to sit in a box with an outside sun temperature of 30C)
Endquote

So you would think, and it may be true generally, but in an unlined slate roof in Dorset on a hot sunny day I found two Serotines at the very apex pressed up against the slates. The temperature must have been well over 30C - possibly as high as 40! They seemed quite content.

henrya