Bats are natural insect controls. A typical bat eats 30,000 mosquitoes in a summer.
Bats need to roost in small warm spaces. Bats gather in colonies to sleep in their roosts during the day. Bats’ natural roosts are tree cavities (some bats roost in caves). Bats also roost in attics, eaves and other building spaces.
Bats habitat has been lost in recent years. Forests have given way to development, people have grown less tolerant of bat companions in their homes, and new construction methods have reduced opportunities for bats to slip into cracks. Meanwhile, mosquitoes have discovered that human habitat offers numerous opportunities for breeding and feeding.
Bat houses help to replace or supplement the cavities that the bats naturally use. Bat houses may be purchased or built using simple plans.
Bat houses must be constructed properly. If the interior space is too big or too small, bats will not use it. Also, they must be able to cling onto the inside surface. And there must be a place for them to land when entering. The Township’s bat houses use plans created by Bat Conservation International (http://www.batcon.org/). BCI also certifies acceptable commercial kits.
Bat houses must be located properly. Bat houses should be placed at least 15 feet off the ground. Although they may be attached to houses or other structures, they should not be attached to a tree – bats tend to ignore these houses. A location within a half-mile of water is preferable: the water provides breeding grounds for the insects that the bats eat. Flowers and plants in the area around the bat house will also attract insects. (Note: The use of pesticides in lawns and gardens is discouraged because pesticides kill the bats’ food, and also may cause bats to become ill or die.) Because bats are very sensitive to heat, a bat house must be located in a spot that gets at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight; a south or west-facing spot is thus ideal. However, if bats get too hot they will leave the bat house. One solution to this is to build two bat houses, paint one white and the other black, and place them back-to-back on a pole. The bats will move between the houses depending on their temperature needs.
Bats are not health hazards. Bats are extremely unlikely to transmit rabies to people. Bats are not dangerous as long as you take common sense precautions – such as not handling a bat. Statistically, pets, playground equipment, and sports are far more dangerous than bats. Other than bat bites, the most common concern is about the potential for diseases transmitted by bat excrement. Bat houses do not need to be cleaned out; bats take care of their own housekeeping. Nor are bat droppings any more of a health hazard than those of our pets; in general you should exercise the same common sense with any animal droppings and avoid handling them or breathing them in.
