Does anyone have one? I really want to install one, but my husband doesn't like the idea of all that guano. I thought a good place for it would be over the compost pile.
Bat Houses
Hi Zeb,
We've had a bat house for a couple of years now.
However, no bats have moved in, so we moved the house, and we'll see what happens.
One of my cousins had a major bat population in their attic.
They got the bats out, then put all of the guano in the flowerbed...All I can say is: WOW!!!
They have the biggest flowers and Jack-in-the-Pulpits
(that I have ever seen) in that flowerbed!
Good luck with your bathouse.
Melissa :-)
I read something about bats once that said the guano is THE BEST plant fertilizer. It is marketed, but very expensive.
I have an as yet uninstalled bathouse, 'cause I'm not climbing the ladder! I called the Forestry Service as to where I should put it. In the south half of the USA it should face south, and in the northern half, it should face north.
Hang tight Zeb! Mark is sure to show up and he can tell you a whole lot about bats! If he can't convince your Husband how benificial the bats are then no one can!
I cant show up unless someone tells me to come to this forum!!
if you send me your phone number I'll tell you all about it as it would take too long to write here.
Mark
I will write a little later
here's a brief summary
a single small bat can eat up tp 3000 insects in a night and that include mosquitos.
bats dont attack us and the chances of getting Rabies is less than getting hit by a bus. the chance is something like .01% there are no bugs associated with them that can feed on us. Vampires are cionfined to central and south america. even then the chances of having one suck on you is really slim.
boxes need to be painted a dark color which needs to be darker the further north you go (in the Northern Hemisphere) until it is black way up north.
they NEVER face north unless you live in the southern hemisphere
the box must be placed high on a tree trunk or on the side of a building. the imediate area around the tree/building must be clear of wires, plants, branches. This is because a bat needs to free fall about 6 feet or more before it can get enough speed to fly. they also need a clear run to get back in again.
the droppings are best when not fresh so those from the previous year are better as all you will get is mainly greenery. best place is the compost heap.
bat guano sells at $1 a pound.
This message was edited Friday, Apr 26th 1:07 PM
Thank you, Mark. Dennis and I have been talking about putting up bat boxes. My son has bats on his property down the road, so I know they live around here. We have such a population of mosquitos, I'd love to see them gobble some up! I, too, am interested in the guano. I'll have Dennis check out this thread for info. I've heard they don't like to come close to populated areas... is that true?
bats adore populated areas and can be found in cities. Bats are in Belfast and Dublin city centers. they like the warmth of a modern house to live in instead of a hollow tree or tunnel. the added warmth allows their babies (pups) to grow at a better rate. there is so much to tell that takes way to long to write. I'm willing to chat to you about them also.
Mark