Wildlife Houses

The Pub
1

I’ve been wanting to build some bat houses for a while now.  Yesterday we tore the roof off an an old farmhouse and I missed a brown bat with a reciprocating saw by less than 1/4 inch.  I didn’t know I had gotten so close to him until I had removed the top board along the peak of the roof.  It stayed there all day while we were working, and at the end of the day just before sundown when I put the tarp over the rafters I made sure to cover him yet leave him a way out and in (ha… like a bat needs much room right?)  Anyway today when I came back and took the tarp off I was glad to see he had relocated and was alright.

So I’m into building all sorts of wildlife habitat or houses etc.  We put in a bird feeder and we’ve got LOADS of birds, from an assortment of Finches to Pilated woodpeckers.  I’m planning on building a houses for butterflies, birds and bats.  Anybody got any good plans or sites of their own on such subjects?

One that we found tonight and we’ll build this winter… http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/main/pdf/butterfly.pdf

2

Start with Bat Conservation International for all things batty…

3

Cool, the first News article on the site? Beer for bats…

Beer for Bats

4

Thanks for the link!  8)

Beer for bats… what happened to the horses?  :smiley:

5

This is good stuff dean! 
I have never had much luck with wildlife houses,
except for birds,
had a “pet” wren once in a bamboo house…

One thing to think about,
shelter is only one need, try to provide food and habitat,
especially for that butterfly house.

Cheers to winter work.

Dang! pileated woodpecker at a feeder, that must be impressive!

6

Never heard of a butterfly house :o

I build a bunch of birdhouses and feeders and have them everywhere. I love my feathered friends.

Bat house is next on my list. Butterfly house is 2nd.

7

I’ve had a bat house for a couple of years, but bats don’t like it and I know they’re around here.

8

Technically, they are butterfly hibernation boxes.  The butterflies only use them (if
they even do) over the winter to hibernate.  They’re not like birdhouses that get used
during the warm weather.

9

Check out the BatCon link above.  Lots of new info including if the bat house isn’t at least
two feet tall, it likely won’t get used…  if the bat house is mounted on a tree, it likely won’t
get used.  But even with those, the single biggest factor is the nearness of a body of water.

10

I wonder why they don’t call 'em “Animal Houses”?  :-\

11

:D  That is a bat house for sure!..but is there water nearby? :o

12

Lot’s of water,  it’s in the cans and mugs

13

I know that Bats will reduce mosquitos, but after I had one visit, the CDC had the County have us rush to the ER and start a 2 month series of shots.

I’m sorry, but I don’t want bats around.

14

Not me. I love those little guys. They fly in over our pond let in the evening and swoop down to drink water a few times, then they go high and get to work eating all of the little bastards that like to eat me.

I love that animal house photo. If I could find a source for a nice large print of it, I’d buy it for my bar.

15

THEY TOOK THE BAR!

16

Interesting…I never knew butterflies hibernated.