My little guys (10 & 7) and I are going to build a bat box or two soon. (Found some fairly easy plans in a magazine and we're going to give it a go.) I'd like to ensure we attract some as we do have a pretty decent mosquito problem with wet-land on two nearby sides. Any suggestions to make this project most successful?
Bat box secrets
- Thread starter coachgrd
- Start date
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Plans are all over the internet. What I did was to BUY a bat house from a bird store and copied it many times using reverse engineering (disassembly). The secret is not the house itself, but the placement of it to get very warm during the day so that the thermal mass keeps the critters warm at night.
I have lots of bats but bluebirds and swallows are better for mosquito reduction, and less scary to deal with. The twitter of a bluebird is very recognizable. Same for barn swallows. More friendly, too. My whole back 10 acres of hay fields is now a bluebird and swallow society. Houses are 30 feet apart and alternate (by their choice) bird type.
I have lots of bats but bluebirds and swallows are better for mosquito reduction, and less scary to deal with. The twitter of a bluebird is very recognizable. Same for barn swallows. More friendly, too. My whole back 10 acres of hay fields is now a bluebird and swallow society. Houses are 30 feet apart and alternate (by their choice) bird type.
Travelover
Elite Member
I will look into the bluebird boxes...my father in law says my property is for bluebirds.
Travelover
Elite Member
Good info here:
Bluebird Facts
I oversee the monitoring of 75 bluebird nest boxes at a local park and take care of 25 of them myself.
Thanks TLover...good stuff there. A nice resource. Are the sparrows as much of a problem as the site suggests?
Eagleview
Veteran Member
Flying Rats , yucko .
I recently installed two bat boxes on my land, as we already see them at night.
We have a creek in the yard, so they get plenty of insects.
Just make sure you install them away from your house, and that they get at least 7 hours per day of direct sunlight all year long, usually face them south.
We have a creek in the yard, so they get plenty of insects.
Just make sure you install them away from your house, and that they get at least 7 hours per day of direct sunlight all year long, usually face them south.
Travelover...how do you distinguish b/t the house sparrow nest and that of the Bluebird? From what I am reading, it would appear that you want to do everything you can to discourage the Sparrow from nesting if you want to attract the Bluebird.