Bat House Plans
嚜濁at House Plans And Tips
For Big Brown Bats
For Little Brown Bats
By Terry Lobdell
Bat House Plans
A three-crevice box designed to
accommodate either big brown bats
or little brown bats.
My Bat House Experience
My experimentation with bat houses began in August of 2000 when I shined a light up into a bat house I had
mounted on a pole earlier that summer. I saw over 20 bat faces looking down at me. I was immediately
hooked and have since built and mounted more bat houses each year. By 2012, I probably had around 3,000
bats, (both little browns and big browns) roosting in bat houses I built and monitored in Northwest
Pennsylvania. I have no degree in biology or wildlife science. I am simply a back yard experimenter who
enjoys wildlife. In the past decade I have experimented with different designs for both big brown bats and
little brown bats. The plans in this booklet are designed to accommodate the needs of both species.
The great thing about a bat house building project is that miscellaneous scraps of materials may be used. It is
an easy way to use up scrap lumber that may be taking up space in your garage or basement and help wildlife
at the same time.
A special thanks to these people:
Kent Borcherding who has been the ultimate pioneer of bat house experimentation and for
generously sharing his knowledge with myself and others.
Joe Spencer for hosting the Bat House Forum for all of us to share and learn from each other
about bat houses.
Andy Troyer who encouraged me to publish this plan book.
Fellow bat house building enthusiasts, Frank Cloud, Erik Korsten and Nathan Krecji.
Kathy Uglow and everyone else at the Crawford County Conservation District who have always
given me the green light for many local projects and helped me network with others to
accomplish much more than I could ever do by myself.
Stacey Marendt, Robin Baker, Jake Weiland , Miranda Crotsley and Jen Moore of the PADCNR for
working with me on projects for State Parks.
Shane Hoachlander and Kirk Johnson of the Pennsylvania Game Commission
Joe Arnett of the Army Corps of Engineers
Dallas DiLeo for her editing skills.
Bat House Terms
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Bat house 每 This term is used interchangeably with ※bat box§.
Baffles- Wood dividers between crevices within the bat house.
Crevice- The interior space within the bat house where bats roost. Also referred to as ※chamber§. A 3/4§ crevice
size is ideal for both big brown and little brown bats. Crevice size should never be more than 7/8§ or less than
5/8§.
Spacers 每 Strips of wood used to maintain the ideal crevice size. Spacers should be about ?§.
Landing pad 每 The section of a bat house at the bottom where bats land as they are about to enter the box.
Often times bats don*t even use it but actually fly straight into the crevice. The landing pad is most useful for pups
learning to fly and for attaching screws to mount the box.
French Cleat 每 A strip of wood ripped on a 45 degree angle that interlocks with an opposite matching piece to
mount a bat house to a pole.
Mounting strips - Vertical strips of wood used to mount a bat box to a building, typically 7/8§ X 1&1/2§ with a
length extending about 2§ above and below the bat box.
Internal access gap - Gaps between the baffle boards which allow the bats to change crevices internally rather
than crawl down to the bottom of the bat box.
Back Access/Ventilation Gap 每 A gap in the back of the bat box which allows the bats to enter/exit. This gap is
ideally located about half way or two-thirds down from the top of the box. It also serves as a main ventilation
outlet.
Ceiling Board 每 A 2§ thick board works best since it offers much room to attach longer screws. The thicker wood
also helps maintain desired temperatures.
Maternity Colony 每 A group of female bats that roost together in May June and July while they give birth and
nurse pups.
Guano 每 Fecal droppings from bats. Guano underneath a bat box is a tell-tale sign of usage.
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