Cedar Bat House For Natural Pest Control By dsnygrl on - Updated Oct 15, 2011
For Mother's Day I finally got something I have wanted for a really long time, a Bat House. Yes, you read that right, an actual house that will attract bats so they come to live in our yard. You are probably asking yourself why anyone would want to have bats in their yard and I am going to tell you why.
A single bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitos in an hour and are the primary predators to night flying insects, that's why. I live in the South and no matter how much we spray, we can never seem to get rid of the mosquitos. I also do not like to use too many chemicals in our yard because I have children and pets that play out there so I am always looking for more natural alternatives. That's were bats and bat houses come in. Contrary to urban legends and myths, bats are actually very clean animals and do not attack people or other animals. A single bat house can hold up to 100 bats. So if you have 100 bats eating 1,000 mosquitos every hour every night, that's alot of pest protection. They are already naturally occurring around my property anyway so why not encourage them to put down some roots and stay a while? The first place they will go out and protect, will be the closest location to their home so having a place for them to live makes sense.
The house I received is made of premium red cedar so it is naturally weather resistant. It is 13 inches tall and 7 1/2 inches wide which is what bats prefer over short and wide houses. Inside the box there are 3 divided chambers that measures only 1 inch each which is the perfect size since bats like tight quarters. Each divider board has rows of grooves on them so that the bats have a place to hold on to when they are nesting in the box. The house also came with all the mounting hardware needed to install it.
We are currently scouting out the perfect location to install our house. Bats prefer locations that are at least 15 feet off the ground, get 7 hours of morning sun each day to maintain the house at 80-100 degrees and need a location where they can fly into the house unobstructed. As soon as we determine what location meets all these needs we will put it up and wait for results. It can take several years to fully populate the house with a colony of bats so results are not immediate when you install a bat house. I am very excited to get the process started though and will post results as soon as I have them.
Well today I had my first confirmed bat moved into the house. I heard a thump on my bedroom window this morning and looked out to see a small brown bat on the screen. He moved down the screen to a spider that was sitting in a web there and quickly did his job and ate him. He then sat there for a moment while I went and grabbed my camera and hung out long enough for me to get some pictures which I have added to this review. He then flew off and over to the tree where the bat house is and disappeared inside. We were all very excited.
About The Author:
Garden Treasures Cedar Bat House Purchased at: Lowes Price: It was a gift but I think it was in the 20-25 dollar range
I can't wait to hear an update as to how it works! What a neat and environmental way to protect yourself from bugs!
Yippee, a bat house! I love it! While researching bats in the garden, to write an article, I learned a lot about them and their habitat. I'm in favor of giving the little guys a place to rest. It may take some time to get them to notice the new abode, but in time they will come. Bats can be your garden's best friend!
I have never heard of a bat house. What a great idea! I love that its a natural way to control insects. Very cool!
What a smart idea to keep insects away... unless you're scared of bats! :)
I have always wanted one of these. Let us know how well it works with keeping away the mosquitos.
I gave my mom one of these for mother's day several years ago. She loves it!
A bat house??? Yikes! Bats are one animal that I am really afraid of, that and spiders! I don't think I could have a house that attracts bats! Although in the summer in the later evenings we have bats flying overhead!!! I usually come running in the house! LOL
Wow, I knew bats ate mosquitos but to actually invite them to live in your yard is a little too batty for me!!
I am all for a natural alternative to get rid of mosquitoes! While I am not a fan of bats... I actually might consider one of these... Thank you for all of the great information!