Do you have any bats living nearby? Maybe some bats in your house that you want to move somewhere else? Build a bat shelter for those little flying insect eaters. (A mosquito-eating bat can consume up to 2000 insects per night!)
There are many bat shelter schemes available on the internet. Look at a few and then build one that fits the materials you have available. This article focuses more on principles than exact dimensions.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Preparation
Step 1. Consider the requirements of a bat shelter:
- Bats need enough space for a small colony.
- They need a space to land to enter the shelter.
- They need rough surfaces to be able to cling.
- They need an airtight seal because they will regulate the internal heat by moving up and down in the box.
- The box must be placed in the right place (somewhere where they will receive 4-5 hours of sunshine in the morning, 5-6 meters above the ground).
Step 2. Review some projects
Some are better than others. Think of the concepts that are common to all.
Step 3. Gather materials and tools and clear out a suitable place to work
Step 4. Think about the work project; you will have to measure, cut and adapt materials and then assemble them
Method 2 of 2: Example
Note: The images are of a slightly different box than the measurements given in the item.
Step 1. Cut a section of 1x8 by 3.7m of a rough sawn board as follows:
- Three 55 cm long pieces (this creates the sides and back of the "house")
- One 45cm long (the front of the house)
- Two 35cm pieces (two partitions)
- One 28cm piece (the third partition)
- NOTE: Adjust the saw blade to make shallow grooves (saw cuts) on both sides of the walls, the inside of the front and back. The pictured design includes a "landing zone"; make grooves there too. For an airtight seal, do not cut to the edges of the boards. The purpose of these grooves is to provide the bats with something to hold onto. Some projects suggest using some sort of grid, but "roughing the wood" is cheaper and lasts longer.
Step 2. Measure 44cm on the side of the two 55cm pieces
Step 3. Cut diagonally from the 45 cm mark to the nearest corner on the other side of the board
Repeat on the second board marked 55 cm. These are the sides of your bat shelter.
Step 4. Set the circular saw to a 33 ° cut
Step 5. Cut the "top" ends of the following boards at an angle:
- The 55 cm board remained
- The 45 cm piece
Step 6. Measure and mark the two side pieces parallel to their long side as follows:
- 5 cm
- 7 cm
- 9 cm
- The last line "should" end 4 cm from the opposite edge.
Step 7. Before you insulate, drill and screw you might want to cut and see if the parts fit together
Step 8. Assemble the sides, front and back with the sides angled up
Look at the full-scale image to see the saw cuts in the back of the plank.
Step 9. Nail or screw the front, back and two sides together
(The side pieces overlap the edges of the front and back pieces.)
Step 10. Insert the partitions by placing the house on its side and sliding them into the box
It may be easier to arrange the partitions at an adjusted distance by using a small "spacer stick" as indicated. Since the stick is 7 or 10 cm thick, it gives the right width to each room.
Step 11. Center each partition on a line and screw or nail
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Position each partition so that the angled edge is flush with the sloped roof.
Two partitions are 7/10 cm apart, the largest space in the back is 3.5 cm wide (two sticks).
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The shorter partitions should be in the front of the box while the 33cm partitions should be placed in the back. Cut a passage between partitions to allow movement from one section to another.
Partition Passageway
Step 12. Arrange the 10-inch piece over the angled section so that it is flush with the "back" of the bat shelter and overhangs the "front" of the house
Step 13. Nail or screw the roof
Step 14. Seal all external seams
It is good to put some sealant along the openings as you assemble the parts. The box must be tightly closed at the top.
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Side view of the interior layout of the bat shelter.
Diagram
Step 15. To retain extra heat (and make the house last longer), staple some black roofing material onto the roof
Step 16. Make two ventilation holes about 10 cm from the base of the box
The holes must be made in the front of the box, towards the corner at an angle of 40 °. This angle is used to prevent rain from entering. A chain can be added by attaching two screws to the top of the back.
Step 17. Set up the bat shelter 3, 5 or 4, 5m above the ground
Bats prefer a temperature around 26 / 37º. Place the bat shelter accordingly. (orientation to the sun, prevailing winds, etc.). He likes the morning sun on the box. This box was attached to a tree that gets the morning sun.
Advice
- You could paint the outside of the bat shelter, light or dark, to warm or cool the inside. If you use a black water-based dye for the exterior, you will help keep the heat and keep the bats sticking.
- Do not paint the interior of the house. It may repel bats and fill nooks and crannies that bats need to cling to.
- Bats enter the house from below. Leave it open. Cut a longer plank for the back and use the bottom for the "landing strip".
- Nails are cheap but difficult to put in precisely, they tend to split wood and cannot stand the rigor of the elements. Use screws if you want your box to last more than one season.
- Use rough sawn wood, preferably cedar. The rough sawn wood gives bats something to cling to and climb on. Cedar does not deteriorate as quickly as other types of wood. A further roughing of the wood will be appreciated by the inhabitants.
Warnings
- "Assemble" all the pieces after cutting them. This will ensure that the pieces fit together well and can help you figure out where to put the nails. It is more difficult to make changes after you have already drilled, sealed and nailed.
- Be very careful while using the tools.
- Measure twice, cut only once. Save materials by double-checking before cutting.
- If you find a bat in your home, talk to your doctor about rage as even a single minor scratch can transmit disease.
- Bat droppings often carry Histoplasma capsulatum, a fungus that causes lung disease.
