FAQs

The solar aspect or the amount of sun exposure will depend on the geographic location or the climate where the BATitat is installed.  During breeding season, bats prefer temperatures between 80-100 degrees.  Therefore, it is recommended to mount the BATitat facing in a southerly direction with direct sun exposure for added warmth.  In addition, protection from predators, such as cats and raccoons, is also an important consideration when determining a location for the BATitat.  You should mount the BATitat 10-20 feet off the ground.

You may choose to mount the BATitat on the wall of a building.  The wall will act as a heat sink and protection from wind.  You may also choose to install the BATitat on a pole.  It may be acceptable to mount in a tree as long as the canopy does not block the sunshine.

Insect control, pollination and seed dispersal

One little brown bat will consume up to 1200 mosquitoes and other insects in one hour!  Farmers depend on bats to maintain insect pests, such as the corn earworm larva, rootworms and grasshoppers.  Bats are a biological insect control agent, eliminating the need to spray chemical pesticides.  The U.S. Agricultural Department has reported that bats save farmers $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs.  In southern climates bats will pollinate flowers while drinking the nectar and disperse the seeds of fruits, encouraging biodiversity.

High-potency Garden Fertilizer

Bat guano is an organic source of nitrogen and phosphorus and can be applied directly and mixed into your garden bed prior to plants for added nutrients.

Education

We have a lot to learn from these mysterious, elusive nocturnal mammals.  With a BATitat you can observe bats at dusk as they emerge from their shelter to feast on those pesky mosquitoes.

Earth Stewardship

Bat populations are in decline, due to habitat destruction.  They need our help to create more bat habitat, thus restoring a balanced ecosystem.  Bats are vital to a healthy ecosystem.  Be a bat steward and support a species in decline.  Buy a BATitat to create habitat for bats in your homestead

It is not quite, “if you build it they will come.”  It is more like if you create the conditions for a bat to thrive in they will come.  Bats are opportunistic.  While flying around eating insects, they are also searching for suitable roosting sites.  Think about what bats need to survive.

• Food – In North America we primarily have insect eating bats.  A bat’s diet includes beetles, mosquitoes, moths, and other insect pests).  So, attract their food source and they will feast on the abundance.
• Water – Bats drink water while in flight.  Having a pond, lake, or river nearby will increase the chances of attracting bats.
• Shelter – Bats need a dry, warm place for protection from the elements and predators.  The BATitat is the perfect habitat for your resident bat population!

More than half of America’s bats are currently in decline or endangered

According to statistical research by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, of the 45 species of bat species in the U.S., 7 are in danger of extinction.

• Greater (Mexican) Long-nosed bat
• Lesser Lon-nosed bat
• Hawaiian Hoary bat
• Grey bat
• Indiana bat
• Virginia Big-eared bat
• Ozark Big-eared bat

The greatest threat to the survival of bats is fear and ignorance, leading to mass persecution.  Bats have been perceived as blood-suckin’, rabies-ridden, hair-tranglin’ vermin and have been subject to deliberate poisoning and destruction of caves.  Pollution, pesticides, climate change, human encroachment and habitat destruction currently threaten the survival of bats.

Since 2006, over 5.5 million bats have died in the U.S. due to a fungus that has been labeled as the White-nose Syndrome.  White-nose Syndrome has now spread into 19 states and 4 Canadian provinces.  You can keep up to date with White-nose Syndrome go to http://www.whitenosesyndrome.org. The fungus was introduced from Europe. Some European bats were found to carry the same fungus.  However, they have evolved and adapted a resistance against the fungus, however they do not have the same lethal effects as the bats in North America.

Bats prefer dry, warm crevices, such as the south side of a dead standing tree, beneath it’s peeling bark.  Some bat species prefer caves, other dwell in trees.  The BATitat mimics the habitat of a tree dwelling bats.  Bats will use the BATitat during breeding season and migrate or hibernate in caves during the winter months.

Some bats will hibernate in caves, while others will travel south in late fall and return again in the spring.  They can fly over a thousand miles on migration during the winter.

Bats do seem to have a built-in homing mechanism that guides them back to the previous year’s roosting site.  However, the bats face many challenges over winter, whether in hibernation or in migration, that may reduce the number of bats returning the following year.

Bats use a type of sonar called echolocation.  They make a clicking sound and the sound waves bounce off of the object and back again.  Bats can accurately target their prey or avoid obstacles using echolocation.  Ever hear that saying, “Blind as a bat?”  Not true.  Bats are not blind.  They also use their eye vision to maneuver through the night sky.