# What can you tell me about building bat houses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 20, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917 "2013-02-20T23:26:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/1 "2013-02-20T23:26:44Z")
Not for caped crusaders, but for rats with wings. I’ve been volunteered to do the research and teach other people about building bat houses. I don’t know nothin’ bout housing no bats. Everything I’m finding online is along the lines of “Everyone else’s bat houses suck! Buy the plans for ours!” What I’ve figured out so far: 1. Bigger than you probably think. Small houses lead to overcrowding leads to disease leads to no more bats. Seems like anything under 2’X2’X1’ is asking for trouble. Those cute little glorified bird house boxes aren’t going to cut it. 2. Bumpy on the inside. “Roughened wood” is how most people describe it. So what does that mean, exactly? Do they need actual perches? How rough are we talking? Untreated pallet wood rough or rougher? 3. Seal that sucker. Bats don’t like damp, apparently. And that’s pretty much where I’m at. The people who want me to teach them want to build them out of recycled untreated pallets. Is that reasonable? Anyone got any plans, tips or good resources (preferably that don’t want money for their plans?) The bat house(s) would be placed in Indiana, where I understand the species found include: Little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus Indiana bat, M. sodalis Northern bat, M. septentrionalis Gray bat, M. grisecens Southeastern bat, M. austroriparius If we got to pick, we’d want bug eating bats to move in, but my guess is we’ll get what we get, which may end up being squirrels and wasps. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/2 "2013-02-20T23:52:33Z")
[http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/install-a-bat-house/subcategory/617.html](http://www.batcon.org/index.php/get-involved/install-a-bat-house/subcategory/617.html) free downloadable plans for several types of batcaves! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/3 "2013-02-20T23:55:38Z")
Untreated wood is supposed to be best, as some wood preservatives can be toxic. They’re fine with just rough cut wood to cling to, not perches (US species might be different, but I’ve never seen a bat box with a perch in it). The [UK bat trust](http://www.bats.org.uk/pages/bat_boxes.html#wooden%20boxes) has a few links to various box types, but you might want to check that they’re suitable for the species you’re dealing with. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/4 "2013-02-21T00:34:46Z")
Awesome! Thank you for those links; I’ve learned a lot from them already. Mostly what I’ve learned is that we may not be doing this. I’ve got to make sure someone more local than I is onboard for the monthly maintenance and annual wasp clean up parts, and I suspect I’m not going to find a volunteer for that. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/5 "2013-02-21T00:40:07Z")
Build belfries into them. Bats like that. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/6 "2013-02-21T00:40:34Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I’ve been volunteered to do the research and teach other people about building bat houses. I don’t know nothin’ bout housing no bats. Thanks for…you know…going to bat for them! ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/7 "2013-02-21T00:57:02Z")
The other important bit about bat houses is where to put them. A sunny location is crucial - you can’t hang them on trees, as the canopy blocks the light. A bit easier than, say, an owl box, but still, you really need a good spot or they won’t get used. - **araminty** , zoo educator and bat lover ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/8 "2013-02-21T01:08:43Z")
> [@araminty](#): > > The other important bit about bat houses is where to put them. A sunny location is crucial - you can’t hang them on trees, as the canopy blocks the light. A bit easier than, say, an owl box, but still, you really need a good spot or they won’t get used. > > - **araminty** , zoo educator and bat lover Yeah, and that’s the thing…I’m not down with going to the effort to build or place crappy bat houses that won’t be well maintained. I know I’m going to take some guano for that, from people who just want to slap together some junk from old pallets and paint it with leftover blue housepaint. But…no. Just…no. The bats deserve better, and if that means the eaves of the pole barn, then that’s where they should be. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/9 "2013-02-21T01:11:37Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Awesome! Thank you for those links; I’ve learned a lot from them already. > > Mostly what I’ve learned is that we may not be doing this. I’ve got to make sure someone more local than I is onboard for the monthly maintenance and annual wasp clean up parts, and I suspect I’m not going to find a volunteer for that. ☹ I’d so volunteer! I love bats. Yes, they are kinda ugly, but they really don’t all carry rabies. They have some sort of STD that tests like rabies from what I understand. One of the happiest sounds to me is hearing bats going after misquitos. Their high pitched ching as they catch one is awesome. It takes 2 pallets to make a bat home. Leave one alone, and take the other one apart and use those boards to cover the first pallet. Use lots of nails when you hang that puppy on the tree, it will be heavy and the bat poop is heavy. If you know someone who grows pot, ask him or her to take care of the output. Back when my friend used to grow pot, I learned that bat poop was the best ever. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/10 "2013-02-21T01:28:39Z")
since they are nocturnal then late day sun is good if they get sun. they roost in high enclosed places (ceiling of cave) so under roof edge of barn or house is good. house plans i’ve seen are bottomless. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2013, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-can-you-tell-me-about-building-bat-houses/650917/11 "2013-02-21T01:52:56Z")
Bats are picky, unappreciative bastards! Had a large bat house in the yard for over a year. No bats. Ungrateful fuckers.