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Barn in the Sticks offers a good selection of quality made bat houses approved by the Organization for Bat Conservation and our bat houses are also approved by Bat Conservation International. Some interesting bat facts:
So help the bats and help yourself by putting up a bat house today!
The following information can be found on the Bat Conservation International's Website, a valuable resource!
There are many reasons for wanting bats in your backyard. Whether it’s to benefit from their pollination services, pest control, or you just simply enjoy their nightly displays of aerial acrobatics, consider these three tips for attracting bats to your backyard.
For many species of bats, dead trees provide the crème de la crème of roosting locations. The narrow, rough space between the bark and the wood provides the ideal space for a bat (or few) to squeeze in nice and tight. If a dead tree does not pose a safety concern, consider leaving it in your yard to provide protected refuge for bats and the insects for they eat.
Dead tree not an option? Give the bats the next best thing – a bat house to mimic the space and habitat that a dead tree would normally provide.
Want to buy a bat house? Barn in the Sticks is a certified source for Bat Houses!
BCI has learned many lessons during out 10-year Bat House Research Project. But remember, though we have developed best practices based on years of experimentation, please don’t feel you can’t have a bat house if your conditions are not exactly like the ones we suggest.
Here are some tips to get you started....
1. Where should I place my bat house?
Bats prefer roosts mounted on buildings or other large wooden or concrete structures to those mounted on poles or on trees (not recommended). But pole mounts work well in climates that are moderate to hot, without extreme variance between day and night temperatures.
Bat houses should receive at least six hours of daily sun exposure.
2. How many should I install?
If more than one roost is desired, begin by testing a few in different places. You can mount them next to each other on a building, painted or stained different colors, or on poles back-to-back, a light one facing north and a darker one south. Bats are more likely to move into roosts grouped three or more together.
3. How high should the house be?
Best siting is 20’-30’ from the nearest trees and at least 10’ (from the bottom of the roost)—12’-20’ is better—above ground (or above the tallest vegetation beneath the bat house). Locations nearest an area’s largest water sources are the most successful—preferably ¼ mile or less.
We all love our furry feline friends, but cat attacks are one of the most common causes of bat casualties. Keep your cat indoors at night, especially during the summer months when the mothers are taking care of their young. If you are unable to keep your cat inside all night, bring it in about a half hour before sunset until an hour after sunset – this is when bats are most active. If your cat has found a bat, s/he may have learned where the roost is and will return – which places the entire colony at risk.
Unlike other companies, Barn in the Sticks believes in selling you quality products, which work to attract wildlife and help them. We don't sell cute bat houses that don't work and weren't built to withstand the elements and eventually do the bats more harm that good or don't attract bats at all.
Our bat houses are large, which allow a nesting colony of bats to survive. Bat houses do the best when mounted on a building facing the southeast, to catch the warmth of the morning sun. For most of the US, a dark colored bat house will do the best. In upper New England, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and down through the Rocky Mountains the best color is black. If you live on the southern tip of California, in Arizona, Southern New Mexico or central Texas, you'll want a bat house a medium or light color, like natural cedar or cedar finished with a clear coat of exterior varnish or painted white or light grey. Throughout the rest of the United States, the bat house could be dark or medium shade of paint or stain. This could be black, brown or any medium to dark color.
Bat houses should be placed at least 15 feet high, off the ground, and studies have shown even higher is better.
Bats are in need of help and are misunderstood. You actually have a better chance of contracting rabies from the family dog than from a bat bite. Vampire movies also haven't helped! Bats like the little brown bat feed on nighttime insects, like mosquitoes and moths. They can also help protect your orchard or garden from insect infestations.