So last month we finally put up my Christmas gift from Ann: a bat house! Hopefully some area bats will discover it, although we probably will have to wait until next summer.
Bat's are great... a single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour. There are a lot of misconceptions about them and it's often difficult for them to find lodging in urban areas. Being nocturnal, they stay in the bat houses during the day.
We spent a lot of time trying to find the best location, as it needed to be placed where it gets plenty of sunlight to stay warm. We ended up placing it along the roof of our old shed. The bats enter from the bottom.
Some more bat facts:
Bat's are great... a single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in one hour. There are a lot of misconceptions about them and it's often difficult for them to find lodging in urban areas. Being nocturnal, they stay in the bat houses during the day.
We spent a lot of time trying to find the best location, as it needed to be placed where it gets plenty of sunlight to stay warm. We ended up placing it along the roof of our old shed. The bats enter from the bottom.
Some more bat facts:
- Bats are not infected with rabies more than any other animal species, and they very rarely are aggressive when infected (unlike other animals). Bats that get rabies usually become paralyzed, so you shouldn't touch a bat that is laying on the ground.
- Bats are a protected species. It is illegal to own, sell, or purchase bats.
- Bats are not aggressive, and will not intentionally people or other animals. They may bite if you try to touch them, though.
- Bats can live up to 30 years.
- About 70% of all bats are insectivores.
- Bat houses will not encourage bats to roost in attics or attack people.
- In our climate, bats hibernate to warmer areas from late Fall through early Spring.
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