Bat Houses

• Longer, wider houses tend to attract bats better than shorter, stouter ones. Even so, a house with the dimensions 24 inches tall (2 feet) by 13 inches wide and 3 inches deep is large enough. This house would only require a couple of feet of space. However, this space should also be well above the ground, approximately 15 feet into the air.
  
  In locating the perfect spot, the house should face south to southeasterly and receive approximately 6 hours of sunlight a day. You can mount the house atop a pole or along the eave of a roof on your house, garage or barn. While you can put a bat house in a tree, tree-based houses tend to take longer to become occupied because the bats do not readily find them. Wherever you place the bat house, make sure the entrance is easily accessible by the bats, meaning there are no obstacles in their flightpath to and from the house.
  
  To make a bat house, use plywood or cedar and remember that the wood on the inside of the house should be rough, to give them something to cling to. Furthermore, the inside should have regularly spaced grooves, about every 1/4 inch or so, or have a polyethylene plastic mesh attached all the way from the front up to the back. The opening at the bottom of the house should be small, no more than 1 inch, so that predators cannot get inside. Caulking the house to seal the edges will help keep the bats warm, dry and comfortable. Adding a ceiling under the roof will create a much needed temperature variation.
  
  Several bat organizations offer plans for building your own bat house and will provide you with many helpful tips.