Farming can bring an outstanding transformation of your life. When you start to learn about the life cycle of animals and plants, and how they work in harmony, you truly start to alchemize your farming experience.
Beside Batman, there is little appreciation given to city bats and what an incredible contribution they make to the urban farm. This post will answer many of the common questions about bats; tell you how you can build your own bat house; and review different prefab bat houses.
Why include bats in your urban farm?
- Bats eat a lot of insects — a single bat could consume anywhere from 1000 to 4000 insects a night! That’s an impressive amount of pest control.
- After they digest these insects and excrete them from their bodies, their feces — or guava — are chock-full of nutrients with which you can grow amazing food.
- Bats assist in the pollination of plants — they enjoy the sweet nectar of flowers and will pollinate them as they fly around.
- Bats are cool! And they add a new layer of personality and uniqueness to your urban farm.
How do you attract bats to your new bat house?
First things first, you need to know what type of bats are native to your neighbourhood. You can Google this information or contact the authorities at Bat Conservation International, a non-profit that works to conserves the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.
🦇 Must-haves for your bats
- Water supply. This could be as simple as a birdbath. It is recommended to install a hoop or a sturdy landing structure above the bath, so the bat can perch on a surface before they get to the water. Remember that they like to drop before they fly so the higher the hoop, the better.
- Food supply — bugs. This can be achieved in many ways: having a compost in the area, for example, will draw in bugs. Flowers with a strong fragrance is another great way to attract insects. Diversity is key here, and these flowers are not just for the bats, bees will also enjoy the floral buffet that you offer. Bats travel a long distance looking for food, so assess your area to see if they would want to make a home in your bat house.
- Safe shelter. This new habitat is where your bats will come to rest, and they will need the reassurance that they are protected. This means where you install the bat house is crucial: it must be high enough that bats can fall away from places that predators can reach them, and high enough that morning sun can keep them warm.
- Maintenance. The bat house provides a respite from wind and rain, not to mention dangerous predators. As its human steward, be sure to inspect the bat house regularly from spring to early fall, checking that no bees nor wasps have taken up shop.
- Enticing plants. Bats are attracted to plants that are light coloured, fragrant, and bloom at night. These include moonflower, evening primrose, night-blooming water lily, night-blooming jasmine, yucca, and datura. Scented herbs like chives, lemon balm, and marjoram are also good for attracting bats. On the other hand, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and peppermint are said to repel bats, so avoid using those in your garden, or at least keep them away from the bat house.
There is a 35% success rate for hosting bats in your garden, so do anything you can to make it more appealing to bats. You’ll know the bats have taken up residence — and that your bat house is a success — when droppings begin appearing around the house on the ground.
📍 What is the best location for a bat house?
Here are some guidelines to follow when you’re scouting for a place to put your bat house. A bat house must have:
- Adequate height. The location should be high enough that bats can fall, but also accessible enough for you to service it.
- Protection from predators. Having a bat house in a tree is not ideal, as other creature will be able to access their home. Instead, having it high and on the side of your own house is a great spot. Be mindful of the location, so you can harvest the guava.
- Proximity to compost. Organic waste is a banquet for your bats. Not only can they keep the bugs in check, but their droppings will also fall right into your compost, so it can be mixed into your soil and enrich it with nutrients.
- Access to morning sun. Your bat house should get sunshine, which will warm up their home during the day.
- Peace and quiet. The bat house is where its residents will rest and restore themselves, so situating it away from a human entrance or high-traffic space will keep bats more interested in taking up residence in your bat house.
🔒 Securing your home is the key ingredient to coexistence
This is great to do for many reasons. Since bats like small openings, they can get into your attic or other spaces that you would not want them to invade. For this reason, make sure you conduct an inspection around your home before you install the bat house.
Building your D.I.Y. bat house
Now we’re at the fun part! Constructing a bat house is an amazing project for you and your kids. If you are looking for designs, you can find instructions for a single chamber bat house here, courtesy of Bat Conservation International. If you want to have a more comprehensive read on bat houses, check out this handbook. Modern Builds offers another valuable resource to building a bat house here.
🏠 Can you move an existing bat house with bats inside?
No, never attempt to relocate or agitate a house with an active colony inhabiting it. Moreover, it’s inadvisable to handle wildlife without the proper training or equipment. While bats do not aggressively attack people, they can bite in self defense when they feel threatened.
In moving the bat house, you might even disrupt the colony, which may lead it to relocate and even abandon its young pups. The proper time to handle a bat house is during the winter, when the bats are not present. If a house falls or is damaged with bats present, you should wait for them to leave or seek professional advice before attempting to handle it. Your local Department of Natural Resources should have a wildlife agent able to help.
Updated July 19, 2021. Originally published June 30, 2019.
