Tips on How To Build A Bat House
Article by Michelle Lewis
Building a bat house is an excellent way to keep your garden free from bugs and insects. A small-sized bat can consume up to 600 mosquitoes in one hour, which can be very helpful if your area has an insect infestation. Most people do not know how to build a bat house, but this process is fairly easy and only requires some basic tools.
Contrary to popular opinion, bats do not only live inside caves. Although they spend the winter season inside caves, most of the summer is spent in old buildings, under bridges, or in the trees. In these areas, bats create nests and give birth to young. To build a house for these animals, you will need to create an environment that mimics their natural home as much as possible. Bats enjoy tight spaces that are warm and dense for their babies to grow comfortably.
To keep the bat house as homey as possible, use a dark color for painting and caulk the walls to help keep the heat inside the house. Rough wood is a lot better than flat panels, since it resembles tree bark. Having a natural environment will help the bats to feel more at home in the area and more likely to raise a family.
The ideal location for a bat house is an area with a lot of sun and several feet of the ground. At least fifteen feet over the ground is recommended to help the animals to feel safe from predators. A nearby water source is also handy because mothers do not like leaving their young for too long. Funnily enough, bats often do not like houses that are mounted in high trees. Buildings are a better solution because they are less accessible for predators and retain heat much better.
Wood is the choice material for building a bat house, but wood tends to rot and fall apart easily in outdoor conditions. To avoid this problem, you should use thick oil paints and primes to protect the wood. This will also prevent any mildew or mold from growing on the wood. You can use several layers of paint, as long as it is a fairly dark color. Give the surface a few days to dry before mounting it. Animals tend to avoid chemical-smelling areas, so it may take up to a week for the smell of paint to pass completely. Afterwards, it will be the perfect accommodation for bats.
About the Author
Learn more about bats, how to build a bat house and how you can save money building a bat house yourself at http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-build-a-bat-house
