Hanging a large bat house

[rhodes]

Hello from a Newbie!
I have hung a BBH(Big Bat House) in a tree with
nylon webbing. But I wondering if
placing a spike/ large "I" bolt, ect ect ect
would be better? Although I do not want to risk damage to the
tree in-order to change the current way I have the box.
Thanks!
Rhodes

 

[pigwot]

Bat boxes that are secure, and don't flap in the wind, no matter how they are secured, is but the first issue. The other for a successful bat box is that it gets close to a full 12 hours of sun per day...especially important in the winter up north.

 

[treeseer]

http://www.batcon.org/home/index.asp?idPage=91&idSubPage=20

I highly recommend you join BCI if you are keen on bats--they are a great resource.

Fasteners in trees are harmful when they crack the wood during installation. Pre-drill the hole before you install the hardware and your tree should be ok with it.

 

[Ekka]

rhodes, what sort of bats do you get around there?

Down here we get them the size of a small dog and they stink ... hence people have us cut down their roosting and food source to get rid of them.

Just wondering what ya got in your neck of the woods.

 

[treeseer]

Down here we get them the size of a small dog and they stink ... hence people have us cut down their roosting and food source to get rid of them.

wouldn't it be more humane and cheaper and possibly more legal to install a roosting site nearby?

Just wondering what ya got in your neck of the woods.

Ekka check out batcon.org, a great source of info on these beneficial associates.

 

[rhodes]

Thanks for the help!
Well, according to the Universty of Kentucky ( Yes, they teach more than basketball at UK!)


Kentucky Bats

Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus). A small brown bat weighing about 10 grams. Common throughout Kentucky, it can sometimes be found in attics of buildings or roosting on boat docks. One of bats most commonly encountered by humans.
Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Southeastern Bat (Myotis austroriparius). May be confused with little brown bat because of numerous similarities. Found in western Kentucky. State endangered species and candidate for federal endangered species. Found in buildings, caves, culverts, or tree cavities. Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Gray Bat (Myotis grisescens). Similar to other Myotis bats but larger. It can be identified by the wing membrane attached to the ankle instead of base of toes. Found in inner Bluegrass and cave region of south-central Kentucky. Federal endangered species. Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Northern Long-eared Bat (Myotis septentrionalis). Similar to little brown bat except for its longer ears and a long pointed tragus (inner ear membrane). Rare. A state special concern species. Found in caves, rockhouses or shelters, old mines, and buildings. Lives singly or in small colonies, hibernates.

Indiana Bat (Myotis sodalis). Difficult to distinguish from other Myotis. Federal endangered species. Found in winter
throughout Kentucky cave regions. Lives in forested areas during summer, roosting in snags and under tree bark. Lives in
colonies, hibernates.

Small-footed Bat (Myotis leibii). Very tiny bat identified by small size, small forearm and foot, and keeled calcar (a long bone spur on one of the ankle bones). Found in eastern and central cave regions of Kentucky. State endangered species and candidate for federal endangered species list. Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Abundant statewide resident. The bat most commonly found in buildings. A large bat about twice the size of the little brown bat. In Kentucky, this species is by far the most commonly encountered by people. Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Silver-haired Bat (Lasionycteris noctivagans). Medium-sized black bat with white-tipped fur. Usually found during spring migration. Seasonally solitary, migrates. Some hibernate in caves, mines, and rock crevices in Kentucky.

Eastern Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus). Tiny bat with tricolored fur. Abundant statewide resident. Prefers caves in winter and trees and buildings in the summer. Hibernates, singly scattered through caves and mines.

Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis). Abundant statewide resident. Fur is rusty red, washed with white. Cannot be confused with any other species. Seeks daytime refuge in trees. Solitary, migrates. In June, females laden with young (up to four) often fall onto lawns.

Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus). Rare, but found throughout Kentucky. Larger than Big Brown Bat. Color is grayish
yellow-brown, overcast with grayish white. Spends summer days in tree foliage. Solitary, migrates.

Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis). Found in western and southern Kentucky. State threatened species. Found in trees and buildings; avoids caves. Lives in colonies, migrates.

Virginia Big-eared Bat (Plecotus townsendii virginianus). Known only from eastern Kentucky cave region. Federal
endangered species. Largest known winter colony occurs in one eastern Kentucky cave. Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Rafinesque's Big-eared Bat (Plecotus rafinesquii). Uncommon but scattered throughout the state. Occurs in caves, mines, wells, and abandoned buildings. Very similar in appearance to Virginia big-eared bat. State threatened species and candidate for federal endangered species list. Lives in colonies, hibernates.

Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis). Accidental. Autumn wanderer from the south.

 

[Ekka]

wouldn't it be more humane and cheaper and possibly more legal to install a roosting site nearby?

These are flying foxes, fruit bats! They eat the berries on queen palms. They have a place where the whole colony hangs around during the day but come night ... the skies are filled with them ... thousands of them. They go looking for food but when dawn approaches they go back to their habitat colony place.

So we dont cut down there homes just their feeding grounds ... nothing illegal about that. But you'd have to see it for yourself, 5 bats fighting in a queen palm all night will keep you awake, the dogs barking and bat crap stains all over the place ... very hard to get off and disgusting.

They're an unuasual creature, they are social in the sense of gregarious and being in large groups but they're always fighting ... many scientists are intrigued by that behaviour.

Fruit trees etc have to be netted. Many people give up when their trees get out of reach (mango trees etc) coz the bats beat them to the fruit.

The queen palm is an introduced species, on the weed list and slowly being eradicated. The bats have had it good for 25 years or so since the queen palm was introduced but slowly the palms are coming out.

You do not want these bats at your place, trust me on this one. At dusk and dawn the sight is ... well, you want an umbrella coz they do their thing in flight!

 

[Sprig]

These are flying foxes, fruit bats! They eat the berries on queen palms. They have a place where the whole colony hangs around during the day but come night ... the skies are filled with them ... thousands of them. They go looking for food but when dawn approaches they go back to their habitat colony place.

So we dont cut down there homes just their feeding grounds ... nothing illegal about that. But you'd have to see it for yourself, 5 bats fighting in a queen palm all night will keep you awake, the dogs barking and bat crap stains all over the place ... very hard to get off and disgusting.

They're an unuasual creature, they are social in the sense of gregarious and being in large groups but they're always fighting ... many scientists are intrigued by that behaviour.

Fruit trees etc have to be netted. Many people give up when their trees get out of reach (mango trees etc) coz the bats beat them to the fruit.

The queen palm is an introduced species, on the weed list and slowly being eradicated. The bats have had it good for 25 years or so since the queen palm was introduced but slowly the palms are coming out.

You do not want these bats at your place, trust me on this one. At dusk and dawn the sight is ... well, you want an umbrella coz they do their thing in flight!

Cool! I love the little winged creatures, but not their crap fer sure. Our common one here is much like the 'little brown bat' described by our southern member rhodes. They're cute, for rabid wee bug eaters. They are a very important critter in our over-all environment as they will eat their own weight in insects per day; this can mean several hundred to thousand mosquitos, per animal per day, figure that benefit out eh! Bats have their place in life's balance. Someone told me many years ago when I was but a tad that the little 'browns' scoop bugs up in their tails then eat them whilst hanging upside down, I always presumed they drop the food into their mouths somehow; don't know how true this is, and it is not my 'google' direction right now, so anyone in the know with more info I'd be happy to hear their information, knowledge, and experiences too. bats 'nother bat