Bats Natural Pest Control
There are many natural alternatives for pest control in your personal garden. One way to help with viable pest control is through the use of Bats. Bats are natural predators for small bugs and animals and a great way to keep the area clean of those pesky mosquitoes without having to use zap lamps. There are many ways to attract bats to your garden. We will discuss a few of the ways to help you accomplish this.
There are some basic tips that will help when trying to attract bats to your garden area. Most bugs are attracted to the lights that we leave on at night. This attracts bugs as well as bats because they are going to go where there is food. A birdbath will be needed because the bats always need a fresh source of water it will keep them hydrated as well as up higher from the ground to prevent other predators from eating them.
Bats are very territorial animals and are always looking for new roosts in which to call home. For bats to make a roost they have to have several things, a good food source, a dark place away from predators like a bat house. When looking for a place to add a bat roost for your garden area you need to consider the direction and if the outside of the bat house should be painted. The bat house should face a direction of south southeast where it will receive at least 6 – 7 hours of direct sunlight because bats require a heated home. If you have a stream or pond with in a ½ mile or so this is great for them not only a great source of food but also readily source of water. Also ideally there should be a high enough tree line to prevent predators from getting at them, situated at least 100 feet high to hide in just in case. Since most local areas do not have a stream or if you’re in a city or suburban area, laying out a bird bath for them will also work quite nicely.
Temperature is very important requirement for bats. In parts of the country when considering putting up a bat roost make sure it is facing direct sunlight for several hours a day. Particularly this will affect the northern and central parts of the country where the climate is usually a little cooler. To help control the heat in the bat roost you can paint the outside of the house with a non toxic paint darker in color so it will help keep the heat trapped inside. To help prevent the heat from escaping you can calk the outside of the house to prevent I from getting wet and help control heat loss. In the southern parts of the country using a lighter color can help so that not too much heat stays in the house. If it is extremely hot where you live then keeping a Spanish style roof or tin roof will help reflect the heat as well. As well as painting the house white with a lighter roof can also help dissipate the heat from there roost
Most bats are hibernators during the winter and usually have a separate place from a roost that you built where they tore there food and will stay for the winter. If you’re really lucky and made a nice house they may stay for the duration as well. Bats are very sensitive during hibernation and if you find they stay in your roost make sure not to disturb them since it can cause there hibernation to be affected which then they can die easily.
Finding the perfect locations to mount your bat roost is the hardest decision you want what is best for the bat of course. Usually if you are mounting them on a pole then always keep one facing south and a couple facing north this way they can alternate depending on the temps of the day. If you are mounting them in a tree then make sure it is a part of the tree that has more open branches so that way they can still receive the required sunlight. Also make sure when mounting them that they are mounted as high as you can to protect from predators and human interaction. If it is a new roost make sure that you are mounting it before the winter hibernation period. That way in the spring they can be found after the bats come out of winter hibernation. If after 1 year the roost is still unoccupied it may be in a bat location try moving the roost to a new setup .Patience is the key if you would like to get bats in your garden to keep away sometimes it can take up to two years for a roost to be occupied. But once you have it them there they will keep the bugs and pests away from your garden and give you a option of natures best pest control without using chemicals.
