Beneficial bats eat mosquitoes and pollinate flowers.
Some species of bats are a great form of natural pest control, as single bat can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes an hour. In addition, some bats are nighttime pollinators. A disease known as White Nose Syndrome has killed off hundreds of thousands of bats, lowering the benefits of their presence. The disease spreads most easily through large colonies. Bat houses give shelter to smaller colonies, helping the bats survive this scourge.
Instructions
1. Cut three pieces from the weather treated plywood. Cut one piece measuring 24-by-26-inches. This is the back of your bat house. Cut a second piece measuring 24-by-16-inch for the front and cut a third piece measuring 24-by-5-inches. Set the third piece aside. This will be the roof of your bat house.
2. Lay the back of the bat house on the work surface. Rout 1/16-inch grooves into the surface of the wood, every half-inch, along the length of the board. This roughens the wood, giving the bat something to hold onto with its toes.
3. Stain the inside of the front and back of the bat house with a dark, water-based stain. Use light layers of stain, making sure that your brush gets into each crevice you routed into the surface. Let the stain dry completely. Leave the pieces overnight to allow all the chemicals to fully dissipate.
4. Cut two 20 1/2-inch pieces, and one 24-inch piece of the furring strip.
5. Lay a line of caulk along the top of the back piece. Lay the 24-inch furring strip on top of the caulk. Secure with four wood screws evenly spaced. Lay a line of caulk on either side of the back piece.
6. Lay the furring strips on top of the caulk and screw into place. Lay a line of caulk on top of the furring strips. Lay the front of the bat house on top of the strips and screw into place. The front and back of the bat house are separated by three-quarters of an inch. This is all the space a bat needs.
7. Lay a line of caulk on the top of the bat house and screw the roof to the top. The roof should overhang the front by several inches.
8. Prime and paint your bat house with water-based primer and stain. Wash your brush between the primer and the paint.
Tags: line caulk, back house, piece measuring, your house, back piece, front back