Fall 1999 Table of Contents

No bats in your box? Try these changes

Don’t be discouraged if you’ve put up a bat house and haven’t had occupants yet. You may just need to make a few of these changes that bat experts have recently discovered:

• Paint house black or stain dark

• Caulk house seams to make it tight to maximize heat and minimize temperature changes

• Build tall, large house, at least two feet tall, 14 inches wide

• Provide at least six-inch landing area extended below bottom entrance

• Make baffles out of rough lumber and separate by 3/4 to 1 inch

• Mount house at least 12 feet above ground on pole, with no obstructions for at least 20 feet

• Put two bat houses back to back and cover with tin roof

• Place box in a location that gets at least six hours of sun daily

• Place box within a quarter mile of at least a three-acre body of water

These ideas were from a recent Bat Conservation International (BCI) workshop. For more information, visit the BCI Website.

Also, for those participating in WDFW’s bat box survey, remember to send in your Data Collection Forms to BCI.

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