How To Attract Bats To A Bat House? Attracting Bats To Backyard (2023)

What do you think of bats? Did you know that a bat represents prosperity, good luck, and success in Chinese beliefs? But in real life, bats are a great helper in private homes and knowledge on how to attract bats to a bat house can be really helpful!

Annoying insects can often spoil your fruits and vegetables. Agree; it’s unpleasant when insects ruin your labor, so you can be helped by bats, which are fantastic insect hunters. In addition to eating up all the insects to keep your garden and vegetable garden healthy, their droppings are the best fertilizer for your plants. 

But how do you attract bats to your bat house to help you? Today, House2Keep will tell you this secret, and you will learn the secrets of attracting and keeping bats.

Why Are Bats Useful For House Owners?

Bats are mammals that rest in caves during the day, hovering with their heads down and flying out in search of food as soon as the sun sets below the horizon. They hibernate in winter, and you are unlikely to see them at this time of year, even though their sleep is shallow and any noise can wake them up.

Many people believe the old legend that bats attack human hair. The truth is that bats are adorable and very beneficial to humanity. Attracting bats to your yard is not dangerous at all; quite the opposite! 

1. Bats Eat Mosquitoes

The nice thing about bats is that they are especially fond of mosquitoes. In addition to keeping your garden insect-free, you can also spend the evening outside without a mosquito bite. Wouldn’t that be great?

2. Bats Pollinate Plants

Some bats feed on nectar, so they fly from flower to flower, collecting and spreading pollen. It is a natural event that helps trees bloom and grow fruit. Isn’t that a good reason to attract bats?

3. Bats Fertilize

As I wrote above, bat feces are rich in nutrients such as phosphorus, potassium, and nitrogen, which are potent fertilizers. They enrich the soil in vegetable gardens and care for plants and flowers. Be careful never to touch bat feces with your bare hands!

4. Bats Exterminate Parasites

Bats eat all sorts of parasites that harm vegetables and plants, so they help protect and keep your vegetable gardens healthy and intact without spraying the area with chemicals.

Learn To Understand Bats

To know how to keep bats properly, you must get to know them better. Let’s take it one step at a time. There are two types of these animals, and they look and behave differently:

1) Some bats live in the middle belt of Europe, belonging to the family Microchiroptera (small bats). In addition to their small size (usually not a defining feature of this species), they differ from their closest relatives in having short noses and muzzles, small eyes, and large ears;

2) Megachiroptera are the second species of bats. This family includes more giant bats, but they are more commonly found in the tropical climates of Australia, South Asia, and the Mediterranean. These bats have elongated muzzles; some even think they resemble rats or dogs, so they are often called flying foxes in Australia and southwest Asia. 

1. Bats’ Feeding

If you want to attract bats to your yard, you’ll need to bait them with food.

Small bats, which live in temperate regions, move at night and use echolocation to look for flying insects, which form the basis of their food. If there are no flying insects near your home at night, you may not be able to attract bats. But if you have a garden or a vegetable garden, you should have no trouble attracting bats.

Giant bats feed primarily on fruit and nectar. They look for ripe fruit and flowering plants throughout the year.

2. Bats’ Sleeping

Food is the primary survival factor for these animals, but they also need shelter. Different bats need different covers.

Again, small bats that feed on insects live in caves or hollows in trees. Some species prefer to huddle together for warmth. Since bats often live in secluded spaces, they may like a specially made house.

Another type of bat, fruit-eating bats, usually lives in large numbers in small forest areas. Because swarms of bats make loud noises and emit odors, and because they can destroy the forest, bat settlements are often destroyed.

3. Bats’ Behavior

If you want to attract bats to your yard, you need to figure out if the place fits the needs of bats. Ask yourself the following questions:

Do you have places for bats to sleep and sit? If not, you won’t be able to be interested in these animals.

Are there food sources in the garden? Bats are most often seen in gardens that feed on insects. If you’ve gotten rid of all the insects with pesticides, it’s unlikely that bats will want to live there.

Are there deterrents in the garden? If you live in a noisy area, bats won’t be able to hunt, so that they will find another place. For example, many insect-eating bats search for food using echolocation and passive hearing.

Ways That Guarantee To Attract Bats To Your Yard

In addition to building a bat house, you can take a few more steps to attract these animals to your property:

1. Add Water To Your Property

Water features like ponds appeal to bats because insects can congregate there. The ideal habitat for bats is within a quarter mile or 0.4 km of a natural body of water. 

2. Take Seasons Into Account

Unfortunately, no matter how much you want to attract bats in the winter, you won’t be able to. Spring and early summer are ideal for attracting bats to your bat house.

It’s also important to note that in colder climates, such as the Northeast, bats only use bats in the summer to roost and raise their cubs. 

3. Use Lights As Bait

Even though bats don’t like light much, having a few lights on at night can help attract insects to your yard, which will attract bats. 

Lights are known to attract insects, so this will be an easy way to convince bats to stay in your yard.

4. Building A Bat House

It’s an excellent time to attract bats to your property. You can build them a cozy home where they can hide. Take a closer look at how you can do this below.

Preparing To Build A Bat House

A bat house differs from the birdhouses we are all familiar with. Below I describe the main features to consider when building a bat house. You will be prepared to make a bat house with the following tips:

1. Find A Suitable Place

House for bats may not be huge, but when choosing a place for it, it is essential to consider several factors. First, the house should be no lower than 4.5 meters above the ground, so predators can not climb there. And also the house must find it in a sunny place.

2. Define What Bat House Will Look Like

• Unlike birdhouses, the entrance and exit of a bat dwelling will not be at the front. There should be an extended strip cut into the bottom of the house. The entrance and back wall should be covered with netting for the bats to claw at;
• The house should not be in the shape of a cube; it should be a comprehensive, long, flat box. Remember that more than one or two bats will live in the house. When you attract bats, they usually live 10-12 at a time. Based on an analysis of bat behavior, it has been determined that the house should be at least 35 centimeters wide, 10 centimeters deep, and 50 centimeters high;
• Several longitudinal holes should be cut in the bottom of the house for air. Because bats live in dense groups, heat from their bodies and carbon dioxide from breathing will quickly fill the room;
• Decide what materials you need and buy them.

3. Gather Necessary Tools

You will need a few essential tools to create a bat house

• Pillar (optional). You will be able to attach the house to this post when you are finished;
• Wood, including thick plywood treated with a water repellent agent;
• Mesh;
• Self-tapping screws (various sizes);
• Screwdriver;
• Saw;
• Construction stapler.

Building A Bat House

Once you’ve found a place for the bat house and gathered the suitable materials and tools, it’s time to start building the house.

1. Saw The Wood

The most significant piece will become the back wall of the house. It would be best to cut the ventilation holes before assembling the house.

Do not make vent holes more than 5 mm long. If they are larger, they will let too much cold air in. If the holes are too big, small birds can get in and make the house their nest, making it impossible for bats to live there.

The roof should be long and protrude a few centimeters beyond the edge of the front wall. You can make it so that the roof slopes form a right angle, but if you want the tip to be 30 degrees, the slopes should be longer. You can cut the edges of the boards that form the roof and the edges of the walls so that they all fit together perfectly.

2. Fasten The Mesh To The Most Prominent Board

It will be at the back of the cabin. Fasten the netting securely. You may have to trim the net to fit the wall. It should be smaller than the wall so it doesn’t touch the roof and floor. The netting should cover the entire area of the wall. This part will help you attract bats because they will claw at the net with their claws.

3. Attach The Floor To The Front Wall

The floor should only be attached to the front side. It should not touch the back wall when the house is assembled. Leave a few inches for bats to get into the house from below.

4. Fasten The Front Wall To The Sides And Back With Self-tapping Screws

Drill the holes with a tiny drill bit and screw in the self-tapping screws. Use at least two self-tapping screws per side.

5. Attach The Roof

Drill the holes and fasten the roof with self-tapping screws from the front and back wall. Use at least two self-tapping screws on each side.

6. Paint Or Impregnate The Cabin

It will protect the wood from moisture so that it will last longer.

7. Secure The Boarding House In The Place Provided For It

You can either screw it into place or first fix a unique fixture in place, which will not only hold the house but also move it if necessary. If you decide to move it to a new post, secure it to the base before driving it into the ground. With such a house, you can keep the bats warm and cozy.

Bottom Line

Attracting bats to your bat house is an excellent solution if you want to add a little excitement to your backyard and want to help with pest control. By following the tips in this guide, you can create the perfect environment for bats so they will move in and start calling your property home.

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