I've heard that bat houses are very good at getting rid of bugs, yes or no?
2006-10-10 15:18:06 · 9 answers · asked by Colonyhkman 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Garden & Landscape
A single bat will eat 3000-5000 insects a night. Think of it!
But if you want bat tenants you must do it right. Bats prefer two houses: a deep one for the females, a shallow one for the males. You can probably find plans to build them and instructions on how to site them on line, but keep in mind that one size does not fit all! Bats are rarely rabid (someone is confusing them with S. American fruit bats or something). It may take a year or more for your bathouses to be inhabited once you place them. It's hard to tell whether they're occupied - bat droppings are like mouse droppings and impossible to see in the grass.
For details and appropriate houses, go to covesideconservation.com. They have done the research and have a great product!
2006-10-12 06:36:05 · answer #1 · answered by keepsondancing 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you have bats that live in the bat houses they will eat thousands of bugs at night. Put your houses up away from your house due to the rabies scare. You can look for bat droppings under the bat houses during the day in order to tell if you have bats living in the houses.
2006-10-10 15:22:22 · answer #2 · answered by Justsyd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I build bat houses. I have researched a lot about it, and yes, they do eat thousands of insects. The house needs to be within 50 yards of a water source as well as away from your house. The house needs to be constructed right or the bats will freeze or roast in the heat.
Purple martin houses are very good too. Purple martins are the only bird that can catch and eat their food (insects) while flying.
I build those too.
2006-10-10 16:16:39 · answer #3 · answered by hipichick777 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
bats are great for bugs but you have to go by the rules of how and where to put the house. It also takes a few years for them to trust the house before they move in. There is a certain height and place that will attract them
2006-10-11 16:20:14 · answer #4 · answered by dodgeum43 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I put one up and just got bee's :( I love Bats, I used to watch them when I did the overnight shift, the bugs would get caught in a warm air updraft of the substations in the summer, the bats would, fly in a tight circle above the light eating bugs like crazy, i would shoot rubber bands up at then, they'd dive then pull up. I saw a huge moth by a street light once at about 3am and a shadow blasted into it leaving wings fluttering to the ground, COOOL !, sometimes they would fly very close to me, then pull up fast, giving me a quick look at their face, Creeepy man but, cool, an Amazing and much needed animal (they eat tons of insects every night), they were misunderstood, and thought of as evil because they were nocturnal. NO BAT EVER ATTACKED ANYONE ! It was very cool being in the world of the Bat for a little while, something that I never thought that I would see, or ever forget.
2006-10-10 15:33:30 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
They will eat around 2000 mosquitoes a night or other insects. So yes, they are very beneficual at insect pest control. We sell a lot of bat houses at our store.
2006-10-11 01:21:10 · answer #6 · answered by college kid 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
so they say... i put one up & could never tell if i had bats.... good thing, now lots of rabies going around didn't want to shoot the neighbor kid anyway!
2006-10-10 15:22:15 · answer #7 · answered by Bonno 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
We have a couple. I can't say I notice a difference. But why not put one up--couldn't hurt.
2006-10-10 15:26:06 · answer #8 · answered by *** The Earth has Hadenough*** 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, we have one. works!!
2006-10-10 22:14:54 · answer #9 · answered by Spongebob 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋