Bat Houses

Bill Johnson · February 27, 2007, 12:11:03 PM

Putting up signs might work, but then you are assuming that they are smart enough to read. If they're not smart enough not too wantonly destroy property, would they be intellegent enough to read? :D

SwampDonkey · February 27, 2007, 12:13:10 PM

Precisely.

Radar67 · February 27, 2007, 12:13:37 PM

I was sort of thinking the same thing. :D

Stew

Murf · February 27, 2007, 01:19:53 PM

Maybe start with a bat house decoy, with a few trail cams around the area.

It worked for a buddy who's outhouse used to get shot up every year during hunting season.

He found out a neighbour was using it to sight in his rifle. The neighbour kindly offered to pay quite generously for the nice pictures of him in his hunting gear. :D

LedlieLogs · February 27, 2007, 01:54:14 PM

Thats a great idea Murf! Make sure the flash is turned off or the last picture you see my be an up close shot of a bullet.

TexasTimbers · June 13, 2007, 01:30:28 AM

Stew, did you ever institute your bat plan? I am covered up in flies and skeeters especially. Hate the DanG things. I have thought about bat houses in the past.

SwampDonkey · June 13, 2007, 04:21:10 AM

Kev, I'm making a bat house soon. I don't have flies too much at the house, nor bats. No water. I'm erecting mine out by a beaver pond. I'm using Stews plans he posted. There will be pics coming. ;)

TexasTimbers · June 13, 2007, 10:20:00 AM

Cool. Can't wait to see it. I wonder if i could entice some bats to live in my shop. ???

You would not believe the size of the mosquitos this year. I have never seen any this big. At first I questioned whether or not they actually were skeeters. Then, when one landed on my arm and I watched it insert its pipeline into my skin, and felt that slight stinging sensation, my doubts were erased.

I'm going in for a transfusion at lunch.

metalspinner · June 13, 2007, 11:08:24 AM

We had a bat house building party for the Cub Scouts this year.

One of many hammered fingers that day...

They enjoyed wearing the glasses as much as building the houses...

A very trusting grandpa...

Radar67 · June 13, 2007, 11:57:57 AM

Quote from: kevjay on June 13, 2007, 01:30:28 AM
Stew, did you ever institute your bat plan?

I hate to say that I have not...I've been covered up with more than I can do for some time now. It is still on my list of things to do though, just not very high up.... ;)

Stew

WDH · June 13, 2007, 03:20:48 PM

Get Metalspinner to get the troops to come down and put his assembly line strategy to good use :D.

Radar67 · June 13, 2007, 04:17:30 PM

Danny, I have another confession to make, while the assembly line idea is a good one, I have problems not doing something myself. The wife says I'm too much of a perfectionist. ;D

Stew

SwampDonkey · June 13, 2007, 04:19:47 PM

Don't kid yourself WDH. If the wife washes his laundry and cooks his supper he won't stand in the way of progress. :D :D :D ;D

Radar67 · June 13, 2007, 04:26:31 PM

She even takes the garbage out too. ;) ;) ;) But she don't know a thing about driving nails or sawmilling. :(

Stew

WDH · June 13, 2007, 08:55:43 PM

So true, Stew. You and I are ~~bats~~ birds of a feather ;D

Radar67 · June 13, 2007, 10:25:33 PM

Yeah, she takes care of me...and I take care of everything else. ;D

Stew

SwampDonkey · July 28, 2007, 06:32:37 PM

There appear to be bats visiting my bat box Radar. I see droppings at the base of the pole. No permanent residents yet. ;)

Radar67 · July 28, 2007, 08:15:00 PM

That's good to hear SD. It shouldn't be long before one of them decides to homestead and move the family in.

I've noticed a few flying around on my place, so one of my fall projects will have to be to get my house built.

Stew

Raphael · October 18, 2007, 09:54:35 AM

We've got a healthy population of little brown bats going here and plan on incorporating a pair of bat houses on the south wall. Unfortunately I sealed a pair of them into one of my gable ends this summer while trimming out the house.
I extricated one (while he chewed on my finger) and he flew off but this little girl was stuck bad.

I managed to get her loose without breaking any bones but she appears to have a dislocation or sprain that's keeping her from flying.

I cared for her for several days and now she's with the local bat rescue lady.

If your going to play with bats (and other wild animals) you may want to spring for the rabies vaccine up front. The treatment they give you after the fact includes 4

RIG (rabies immune globulin) shots in addition to the first of the rabies vaccine shots. RIG is very expensive.

Tom · October 18, 2007, 02:08:16 PM

What is the difference in the treatment after the fact and the treatment before the fact?

Furby · October 18, 2007, 02:09:36 PM

Bout $1000! :D :D :D :D :D :D

SwampDonkey · October 18, 2007, 05:47:47 PM

My uncles house "is a bat house" in the summer months. He's close to the river and they roost around the flue and eves of the house. I did see one bat in my wood pile this summer. I don't hope to be handling the critters. Just let them go to my bat house and be on their own. ;)

Apparently, they go to limestone caves down in the Bay of Fundy area. I read a report some of those caves are 50 F during the winter months. I guess you'd call that migratory, but I know they don't go thousands of miles from here, they aren't birds. ;)

Raphael · October 22, 2007, 12:16:59 AM

Quote from: Tom on October 18, 2007, 02:08:16 PM
What is the difference in the treatment after the fact and the treatment before the fact?

If you get the series of rabies vaccines before having been bit then you just need a single vaccine booster shot (one small shot in the arm) if you do get bit. If you are unvaccinated when you get bit then you get the entire rabies vaccine plus the RIG which was 40cc in the backside I could have done without. :D

It's worse than you think Furby... My emergency room bill was ~$4k, of that the RIG was ~$3k

while the complete rabies vaccine series and a tetnus booster were under $500.