Overview
A bat box works on the same principle as a bird box, except that bats prefer a wedge-shaped roost and enter through a gap underneath rather than a hole at the front. Using cheap, untreated wood, this box will give bats the perfect place to shelter and roost in your garden. If you're lucky, they may even give birth and raise their young there, so make sure you site it in a sheltered spot.
Do it:
February - October
Takes just:
2 hours
How to do it
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Using a pencil, divide and cut the plank into the following sized pieces: 40cm x 15cm (back), 23cm x 20cm (roof) and 23cm x 15cm (front). Finally cut a piece 20cm x 34cm and cut it diagonally to create two triangles for the sides of the bat box.
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Place the backboard on a flat surface and cut ridges into it, 2mm deep every 0.5cm, to make a 'ladder' for the bats to climb up.
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Take one of the side triangles and measure 12.5cm from the acute angle along the longest length. Draw a horizontal line across the triangle at this point and cut off the smallest part. Repeat with the other side.
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Glue and nail the two side panels to the front panel of the bat box. Sit the roof on top and push up the backboard to check for a tight fit. Glue and nail on the backboard. Glue and nail on the roof and an eyelet for hanging and hang above ground on a tree, post or house wall.
"Rough sawn wood is ideal for giving bats something to cling onto, but if you can't find any then roughen it with saw cuts to help them cling properly."
"To give bats the chance to choose the most suitable roost for the particular time of year site three boxes in your garden facing north, south-west and south-east."
Comments and rating
Overall rating (from 0 ratings):
do you really mean to use nails 19cms by 4 cms? Wouldn't it be easer to use smaller nails!
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You need 45 or 50mm long oval wire nails not as above; Step 3: the entrance hole needs to be 15-20mm. if you cut off 12.5cms the hole will be too big and you will then need to attach a piece of plywood to reduce the size, which is what I have had to do. If you cut less off the triangles, you will not have enough wood for the front.
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It seems you measure 12.5cm from the top acute angle, not the bottom one, which wastes quite a lot of wood, but gives the right size opening and a smaller box...I've made 2 boxes, both ways
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On www.batroost.com/ it is recommended to place batboxes due South. Other sites have similar recommendations. Are you aware of this and if so, is NE, NW and SE really better? The argument for a due South planig is that youngh bats "need warmth". The USA site even recommends painting the South facing wood in black latex.
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ebbypea commented on this article
20 August 2009
I love bats, we sit in the conservatory at night to watch the bats swooping above us. I hope i can make a good one because I will be so chuffed with myself, and hopefully it may encourage more bats in my garden. Thankyou for the tips.
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