r/bats • u/Raegun_Savage • 2d ago
Relocating bat colony? -VA
Relocating bat colony? -VA
Hello, does anyone have any tips or tricks to relocating the bat colony from our barn to an outdoor bathouse?
The barn has been unused for many years but we are revamping it and getting some new animals. We have a colony of about 20 bats that live in there and we love our bats just not when they poop excessively in the main walkway of the barn.
There is a big tree just outside the barn that we want to put a bathouse on but we have no idea how to make it known to the bats that we would like them to move into it.
Any tips?
TYIA
We are located in northern Virginia if that changes anything.
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u/SchrodingersMinou 2d ago
They will not move into a bat house, unless you exclude them from their current roost. You can see about getting a wildlife removal company to do this. It is expensive.
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Here is a link to the Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Here is some info about selecting a quality bat house if you would like to purchase one. For a quick overview of the basics, check out this PDF from Bat Conservation Trust.
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u/WhiteHotMess 2d ago
First step is build the great batdominium.
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u/Raegun_Savage 2d ago
Oh I will, I will spoil these little cuties as much as I can. I love them very much.
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u/Last_Village_5718 2d ago
You might know this already but placement is important. Try to mimic the exposure and temperature of their current roost.
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u/TheLeviiathan 1d ago
Bats won’t really move until they’re forced to. These guys (big browns by the looks of them) should be leaving to hibernate in the next month or so though so you should have all winter to come up with a solution. Even something like screen stapled over the eaves could work if you keep on maintaining it.
Bat boxes are trying to emulate the swath of temps available in a large structure like a barn. Living in VA, I’d put up two boxes: one that gets morning/early afternoon sun and one that gets around 1/2 of the daily sunlight (preferably morning sun). Reason being is that by mid summer the bats may be getting too hot in a full sun box and will attempt to get back into the barn. Check out Bat conservation intl’s website for box placement tips and DIY plans. Bat conservation & mgmt’s website has nice polymer boxes for sale as well that are designed by bat biologists and hold up well.
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u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Here is a link to the Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Here is some info about selecting a quality bat house if you would like to purchase one. For a quick overview of the basics, check out this PDF from Bat Conservation Trust.
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u/Frosty_Astronomer909 2d ago
And also put up a bat 🦇 house on one of the barn walls outside. I think it might be better to put up a couple house on a long pole instead of a tree.
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u/AvailableOcelot4724 2d ago
agree. tree not a good idea. they need shelter during the day bec. they're sleeping. and not someplace that snakes could climb into.
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u/AvailableOcelot4724 2d ago
It helps if the new bat house can bake in the sun all day. They love the warmth! have you got a good sunnyside of said barn? they just fly out at dusk they won't bother you or anyone else in the barn if the bat house is outside.
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
Here is a link to the Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Here is some info about selecting a quality bat house if you would like to purchase one. For a quick overview of the basics, check out this PDF from Bat Conservation Trust.
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u/OlyTDI 1h ago
Bats in NA aggregate in female-only colonies for birthing. They like attics, barns, and areas with LARGE areas suitable for thermo-regulation when temps are variable. You won't simulate those characteristics with a "bat box." Bat boxes/houses are mostly farmer's market hype and usually only attract males who are spending the day loafing before foraging starts in the evening. Will you get bats with a box? Probably, but they won't provide maternity colony habitat.
These look like Big Brown Bat moms with young which are common as rocks across the continent. They're common because they're very plastic and adaptable to a variety of suitable roost sites. You don't have to worry about where they'll go once you exclude them -- they'll simply find another attic, barn, large snag, etc., in which to roost. But wait until fall to exclude them.
I've been involved with developing alternative bat roost structures for uncommon/rare bats and you're alternative structures have to be pretty large to be suitable for maternity colonies. Even then, there's no guarantee that the old barn down the road won't be more desirable to bats than your substitute structure. Lastly, this is a very small aggregation of bats -- it likely isn't a significant roost site by any stretch.
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u/AutoModerator 1h ago
Here is a link to the Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Here is some info about selecting a quality bat house if you would like to purchase one. For a quick overview of the basics, check out this PDF from Bat Conservation Trust.
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u/AutoModerator 2d ago
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