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May 4, 2016 5:04 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
My bat house mounted on the back of my garage. No sign yet of occupants!
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I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

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May 4, 2016 7:39 AM CST
Name: June
Rosemont, Ont. (Zone 4a)
Birds Beavers Lover of wildlife (Raccoon badge) Native Plants and Wildflowers Dragonflies Cat Lover
Region: Canadian Cactus and Succulents Butterflies Deer Garden Ideas: Level 1
Great-looking bat box, Angie! Did you make it?

My 'bat box' is a big old barn. DH complains that the bats poop on his lawn tractor, but we like having bats around because they eat mosquitoes.

There's been a drop in the bat population here due to white-nose disease, which leaves bats too weak to survive winter. Is it also a problem in your area?
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May 4, 2016 9:53 AM CST
Name: Deb
Planet Earth (Zone 8b)
Region: Pacific Northwest Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Garden Ideas: Master Level
One of my favorite memories is sitting on the back deck with my granddaughter waiting for the bats to come out. They never disappoint. My cousin made me a bat house but I've never seen any signs of occupancy either - she told me they need to be at least 30' up and I don't think mine is high enough.
I want to live in a world where the chicken can cross the road without its motives being questioned.
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May 4, 2016 10:06 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
June: My bat house is from Wild Birds Unlimited and according to the instructions that came with it, it should be about 15' high,
which is about the height we hung it. One of the clerks there said I should smear bat guano on it to attract them, but I didn't go
that far!! WBU doesn't carry bat guano and even though I ordered some, it was powdery and how are you going to smear that on
it? I put it on my garden instead and decided to just let nature take its course.

We had a bat population at a previous residence that lived in the woods and it was a treat to watch them fly around just before
dark! Hope I get some resident bats soon because we have a fierce mosquito problem.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

Avatar for whereami
Jun 24, 2016 5:25 AM CST

Sending some bats in your direction! That's an awesome bat house Thumbs up

I live in N. VA and I think we have a colony of bats in our chimney or around the house somewhere...this little guy stayed for awhile on the bathroom screen under a little piece of canvas that we hung on top of the screen to keep out the marmorated "stinkies"...apparently he/she mistook it for a bat house! Not sure if he/she was ill...seems strange that it was separated from the colony?
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Jun 24, 2016 10:26 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
That is strange! Looks like a large bat, too. I don't know if we have bats yet since I haven't been
out with a flashlight to check it out and by nighttime I'm settled inside, so I don't see them leave
the house. I'll check it out later and post an update.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

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Jul 11, 2016 6:40 PM CST
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
I just got mine up, will have to redo because the concrete in the ground still sways a bit. Might go to an older gentleman's house and as for the flag pole he does t use anymore.


Our group d is sooo tough in michigan the auger only got me elbow deep....
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Jul 11, 2016 6:43 PM CST
Name: Brenden Reinhart
Flushing Michigan (Zone 6b)
Hemophobic said:My bat house mounted on the back of my garage. No sign yet of occupants!
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I thought you were me because of your profile picture looks like mine haha.


Also youtube habitat for bats, he's VERY good at these things, I ordered my kit from him, just him and his wife. Great people
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Aug 18, 2016 7:35 AM CST
Name: UrbanWild
Kentucky (Zone 6b)
Kentucky - Plant Hardiness Zone 7a
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Vegetable Grower Spiders! Organic Gardener Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hummingbirder Frogs and Toads Dog Lover Critters Allowed Butterflies Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
What direction does it face? Bats like it warm. BTW, the smearing of guano thing is urban legend which seems to have come from sales folks.

Is your site urban, suburban, rural?
Always looking for interesting plants for pollinators and food! Bonus points for highly, and pleasantly scented plants.

"Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, nihil deerit." [“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”] -- Marcus Tullius Cicero in Ad Familiares IX, 4, to Varro. 46 BCE
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Aug 18, 2016 12:47 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
Urban, my site is suburban, older neighborhood, and it faces south, so it should be warm enough. Also, it's in an upside-
down L-shaped setting, with the wind from the west blocked by the long side of the L! Confusing enough?

Brendan, will the bats like that open setting? Just asking, 'cause I don't know.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

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Aug 18, 2016 5:21 PM CST
Name: UrbanWild
Kentucky (Zone 6b)
Kentucky - Plant Hardiness Zone 7a
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Vegetable Grower Spiders! Organic Gardener Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hummingbirder Frogs and Toads Dog Lover Critters Allowed Butterflies Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
I've done a number of bat house installations over the years. You can have all the known elements and it still take years to be used. Bats have a very high site fidelity. The bats you have which would might be likely to inhabit a bat house would typically form reproductive colonies often with multiple generations of related females. So it can take a while. However, I have seen bat houses used first season outside of a house with a large maternity colony and little extra space (attic).

BTW, keep an eye on the staples and mesh on your bat house. Staples can over time loosen and points sticking out can rip wing membranes. Mesh can get brittle with age and separate and provide similar hazards. What is the spacing like inside of the house? Spaces should be 3/4" give-or-take. Larger gaps make them favorable to paper wasps.
Always looking for interesting plants for pollinators and food! Bonus points for highly, and pleasantly scented plants.

"Si hortum in bibliotheca habes, nihil deerit." [“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”] -- Marcus Tullius Cicero in Ad Familiares IX, 4, to Varro. 46 BCE
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Aug 21, 2016 4:38 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
Urban, I can't give details about the spacing inside the house. I bought this house from Wild Birds Unlimited, so
I've assumed that it is tailored to bat needs. Of course, at age 73 I should know better than to make assumptions
about anything, but I will pay close attention to those staples and the mesh issue. Don't want my bats (if and when
I get them) injured by my good intention!
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

Avatar for rosieann99
Aug 24, 2016 3:55 PM CST
Name: janet
uk
hi i live in north west uk we have had bats living in the front of our home for 15 years this year under our bedroom window watch them every night flying out even with the babies one year i counted 40 bats we put up a bat box they never used it it love watching them with a cup of tea fantastic
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Aug 25, 2016 5:24 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
Rosie: How blessed you are! Fascinating creatures to watch, aren't they? We once watched a female bat with a
baby on her back climb across the grass late in the evening to get to an oak tree in our front yard. Can't wait
until bats move into our BH. I tip my hat to you.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

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Sep 9, 2016 11:13 PM CST
Name: Laurie b
Western Washington (Zone 7b)
Houseplants Orchids Region: Pacific Northwest Region: Mexico Sedums Tropicals
@Hemophobic, nice and interesting post. @Urbanwild, I am so curious how and when you became one who provides bat house installations, and then is called upon to do it for years. There has to be a story there. Your knowledge is impressive. I don't know a thing about this fascinating hobby, but I sure am intrigued.
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Sep 10, 2016 9:50 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
Well, I don't know if this is a product of bats having moved into our BH or just the hot, dry summer, but
we've had virtually no mosquito problem this year as compared to not being able to enjoy the yard on
a late summer evening in past years because of them. There is a catch basin near our swing which
usually has water in and I know mozzies breed in there, but nothing I can do about it. It's a necessary
evil. I'll go out with a flashlight later today and see if we have bats in the BH.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

Avatar for rosieann99
Sep 17, 2016 2:28 PM CST
Name: janet
uk
hi i found out an interesting fact yesterday talked to a bee keeper, there been bumble bees for 2 years in the garden using an old bird box as a hive
it seems although i didnt see queen bumble bee going into the hive this year in spring, she hibanated in an outhouse, maybe garage, then flew back into the old bird box when she woke up. he said she or her daughter will be there all ready asleep, and you will never know.
That fantastic to knew im helping bee population ready for next year Hurray!
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Apr 18, 2017 1:30 PM CST
Name: Abbey
Eastern New York State (Zone 6a)
Annuals Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Region: New York Herbs Garden Art Dog Lover
Container Gardener Garden Photography Butterflies Bookworm Birds Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
@Hemophobic, Hi Angie Smiling , I'm here to ask a question but I read your post, if mosquitoes become a problem this year, you could try mosquito dunks in the catch basin, it's not a poison but it's naturally toxic to mosquito larvae, it was recommended to me by people who use them on farmland, so I figured they'd take care of my birdbaths OK!

Anyway, any help anyone can give me, please, I inherited this bat box when I bought the house, from what I've read about bat boxes, this is like an illustration on How Not To Put Up A Bat Box, I haven't any idea if it's ever been used, and I'm not in a position to sit outside at night with a flashlight and see what happens. I haven't seen any bats since I've been here, at sundown and such, but that doesn't mean they aren't here. I want to have my handyman take it down, but I don't want him to disturb any bats that could possibly be in there, or anything else that might have taken up residence, is that likely, any way I could tell? Thank You!
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"Every now and then I leave the book on the seat and go and have a refreshing potter among my flower beds from which I return greatly benefited, and with a more just conception of what is worth bothering about, and what is not." The Solitary Summer -- Elizabeth von Arnim
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Apr 20, 2017 6:53 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Angie
Concord, NC (zone 7)
I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Charter ATP Member Region: North Carolina Daylilies Roses Clematis
Butterflies Cat Lover Birds Hummingbirder Seed Starter
Hello, Abbey. Thanks for the tip on the mosquito dunks. I'll find one or
two and place them in the catch basin. Also in the drainage ditch along-
side the driveway that collects and holds water.

I can't give you any advice on moving the bat house. Maybe contact
your local Audubon society? Or post something on the Cornell Labs
web site. They are a wealth of information on all things aviary!

Sorry not to be more helpful. Good luck.
I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace

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Apr 20, 2017 10:44 AM CST
Name: Abbey
Eastern New York State (Zone 6a)
Annuals Plant Lover: Loves 'em all! Region: New York Herbs Garden Art Dog Lover
Container Gardener Garden Photography Butterflies Bookworm Birds Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge)
Hi Angie, don't apologize, I appreciate your response. I'm constantly at Cornell and Audubon's websites, I like to get as much information from as many sources as I can when I'm trying to figure something out, and I think the practical advice from experience that I get here makes the biggest difference to me -- it's hard around this area, you can run into people who practically want you to breastfeed praying mantises to others who talk about deer as if they are proven child snatchers, so... Smiling So I ask, doesn't cost me anything, and if someone can help me, I'm ahead!! Thank You!
"Every now and then I leave the book on the seat and go and have a refreshing potter among my flower beds from which I return greatly benefited, and with a more just conception of what is worth bothering about, and what is not." The Solitary Summer -- Elizabeth von Arnim

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