DDolfelin Posted November 14, 2014 Share Posted November 14, 2014 I've watched with interest folk putting up bat boxes in the last few years. However, I've never seen a bat in or near them. How are the bats i) supposed to find them? ii) know that they are intended for them? However, the wasps seem to like them and, gifted with sight, are more likely to find them. I would be interested to know if anyone has put up a bat box and their experience of occupancy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted November 15, 2014 Author Share Posted November 15, 2014 I think the silence fully answers my enquiry! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 Whilst I don't wish them any harm (and it's illegal to evict them), they scare the life out of me and I'm not going to encourage the b*****s. Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 We often have bats in the garden so we put up a box at the same height they forage at. They never looked at it once, though bluetits sometimes check it out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 We have been very lucky to have bats in or near our last several homes - pippistrelles in England but I don't yet know what species they are here in Western France. They are very, very choosy, and have lived invariably in the highest part of our semi-derelict barns or outbuildings. They want somewhere undisturbed, out of the wind and it must be dark. Their "roosts" (if that is the right word) were always in the eaves of the roof, usually using a hole in the stonework. Try moving the box to different locations over time. If you don't have a barn or tall outbuilding, try your loft (if you don't use it) unless it is fully sealed. Other than that, I know urban bats have occasionally been known to use bat boxes attached to the high part of sheltered walls, in a really suitable spot, but I have no experience of this. It may take a year for them to choose to use it - one thing we have noticed is that individual pairs always keep to the same place once they have found one, just like blue tits for example, so you would probably need to rely on a new, young pair, or a pair that have been disturbed from their favourite site. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I prefer to hang upside down in the warm room Igor has provided.I tried the neighbors bat box but it was cramped and uncomfortable .Even worse some tree bees too a likening to it so back to the bat room .Must go now ,sun is coming up ....Igor has promised me a J15 as a Christmas present .There will be hell to pay if Hornby dont make it in time .Igor really gets the hump . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmrspaul Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I also like bats and this is an interesting question. May I suggest you alter the heading so that it is clearer what the subject is by "- anyone had experience" or - "do they work" or something similar. I can't even get the numerous local sparrows to use my nest boxes, so I suspect York will have plenty of natural bat roosts. By the way in March we saw the hundreds of thousands that come out of the Deer cave in Mulu National Park. http://PaulBartlett.zenfolio.com/borneo2014/e3af6db2c Regards Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Bernard Lamb Posted November 15, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 15, 2014 We have bats in the garden that appear each spring but no idea where they live. They never seem to increase but just seem to be a pair with, later, up to three youngsters each year. There is a large Yew tree and this supports a great variety of insect life and is on the regular flight path of the bats. Tried a box but there is no interest in it. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 On a serious note (for me)there used to be a modern bungalow with a roof full of bats and we got lots in out garden at dusk .THe bungalow changed hands and the bats "mysteriously " disappeared and so we saw no bats for about three years .We had some this summer so they are still around again .As to Sparrows .They love ivy .We have a huge colony living on our house .The sparrow banter can be deafening.So grow ivy and get some sparrows.Ivy only damages brick that is already damaged .There are some dangers .We had a hedgehog fall from a fair height out of the ivy right in front of us ,Couldnt believe what we had just seen .It just unrolled and walked off .I Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I share your liking and interest in bats, but have never tried bat boxes. A friend only discovered she had pipistrelles nesting in her roof space during a summer evening barbeque when they started flooding out at dusk. From experience (caves, buildings), bats seem to like a cool, dark and undisturbed area around their roost, so I would suggest siting your boxes in a secluded and well-shaded location, high up and well away from potential pests and predators. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Storey Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 I share your liking and interest in bats, but have never tried bat boxes. A friend only discovered she had pipistrelles nesting in her roof space during a summer evening barbeque when they started flooding out at dusk. Absolutely. They particularly like sausages, but make sure you have warmed the bread and seasoned it slightly, if you want them to come again. Downside is that they never think to bring a bottle. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54Strat Posted November 15, 2014 Share Posted November 15, 2014 A few years ago we had a nursery roost in our loft, the local batman (from the local bat group) informed us they were pipistrelles and there was probably up to 200 of them. Our eaves are very low, and it was fantastic to see them drop from the eaves at dusk and settle into flight about a metre above the drive, especially if you stood there. We used to watch them feed over the river, a huge swirling mass of them. The batman even asked our permission to bring members of his group down to witness the spectacle. On more than one occasion, they made it into the house, and a scream from upstairs usually alerted me to the presence. One we found hanging on curtain rail, and we even found one on the wardrobe, having sought the dark through an open door. Much hilarity ensued coaxing them out, and we took turns at being the 'batador'. All done with care might I add, my girlfriend teaches exotic animal studies and we were briefed by the batman how to do this safely. However, the roofspace they used was directly over the angled ceiling of our bedroom and as well as the scratching, over time the droppings and urine started to seep into the plaster causing an unsightly stain and a very unpleasant smell. We did what we could to make do, I glued a sheet of faced hardboard over it which helped a bit, but once we'd made sure they'd all left, come late autumn I blocked up the entrances they'd been using. The ceiling was repaired properly and we installed bat boxes along the eaves where they used to gain access.To date, these bat boxes haven't been used and I've no idea why. After reading this thread, I might just try a few different locations though thinking about it now, a couple of bat boxes probably wouldn't support a nursery roost. I guess bat boxes are just used for winter roosting which from what I've just read, are only used for a few days at a time. This might explain why I've not noticed them, I've only been checking in the summer. The bats still use our drive as a route to get to the river so they're still local and we can still enjoy them, but thank god not the smell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DDolfelin Posted November 16, 2014 Author Share Posted November 16, 2014 Yes - folklore has it that they don't smell. Perhaps their droppings don't but their piddle certainly does and it is all pervading. Our last house was very large and old and we has a similar experience to Strat above. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Absolutely. They particularly like sausages, but make sure you have warmed the bread and seasoned it slightly, if you want them to come again. Downside is that they never think to bring a bottle. You may have a point there. A party at another friend's house was interrupted by a bat flying in through the open french doors. The bat was eventually caught in a carrier bag and released safely. but only after successfully dodging an attempt to coax it back out by holding up a curtain across the living room and walking it towards the still open doors. The bat took delight in flying through any gaps left - much to the amusement of the children. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Bernard Lamb Posted November 16, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 16, 2014 The bat took delight in flying through any gaps left - much to the amusement of the children. They do seem to do that deliberately. Watching them fly round the Yew tree of an evening they try to pass through a gap by keeping as close as possible to another tree trunk. Almost as though they are playing a game of dare with each other. Bernard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
edcayton Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Has anyone tried barbecued bat? Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Has anyone tried barbecued bat? Ed Tastes like chicken.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
raymw Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Has anyone tried barbecued bat? Ed yeh, lots of folk out in Africa. Snag is, as revenge, they got Ebola. http://www.batcon.org/index.php/resources/media-education/news-room/gen-news/80-latest-news/846-bats-ebola-and-infectious-disease Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfsboy Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 A few years ago we had a nursery roost in our loft, the local batman (from the local bat group) informed us they were pipistrelles and there was probably up to 200 of them. Our eaves are very low, and it was fantastic to see them drop from the eaves at dusk and settle into flight about a metre above the drive, especially if you stood there. We used to watch them feed over the river, a huge swirling mass of them. The batman even asked our permission to bring members of his group down to witness the spectacle. On more than one occasion, they made it into the house, and a scream from upstairs usually alerted me to the presence. One we found hanging on curtain rail, and we even found one on the wardrobe, having sought the dark through an open door. Much hilarity ensued coaxing them out, and we took turns at being the 'batador'. All done with care might I add, my girlfriend teaches exotic animal studies and we were briefed by the batman how to do this safely. However, the roofspace they used was directly over the angled ceiling of our bedroom and as well as the scratching, over time the droppings and urine started to seep into the plaster causing an unsightly stain and a very unpleasant smell. We did what we could to make do, I glued a sheet of faced hardboard over it which helped a bit, but once we'd made sure they'd all left, come late autumn I blocked up the entrances they'd been using. The ceiling was repaired properly and we installed bat boxes along the eaves where they used to gain access.To date, these bat boxes haven't been used and I've no idea why. After reading this thread, I might just try a few different locations though thinking about it now, a couple of bat boxes probably wouldn't support a nursery roost. I guess bat boxes are just used for winter roosting which from what I've just read, are only used for a few days at a time. This might explain why I've not noticed them, I've only been checking in the summer. The bats still use our drive as a route to get to the river so they're still local and we can still enjoy them, but thank god not the smell do you have a 54 strat ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasslands Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 An interesting question and something I often debate with bat surveyors. I suppose a bat box is a potential shelter for bats if there isn't any other suitable place available. Whether a bat will stay in a bat box also depends on the species. Pipistrelle bats and other bat species that like the shelter of man made buildings often roost directly above heating systems in houses, and I can't imagine that a bat box is a preferable alternative to that. Here are a few papers on bat box occupancy: http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/141 http://www.conservationevidence.com/individual-study/4028 http://www.vwt.org.uk/docs/bats/poulton-s-(2006)-an-analysis-of-the-usage-of-bat-boxes.pdf?sfvrsn=8 Positioning a bat box is also important. Areas that have lots of light at night time (from windows and lamp posts) will not be very appealing to bats. There is also competition with birds and seasonality to consider. Hope that helps Tom Edits: Spelling Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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