Build a PVC Bat House
Attracting bats to a backyard habitat is an important part of any eco-system. Bats are pollinators, and provide natural insect control. Ask anyone who has a bat colony near them – they don’t have mosquitoes.
I have tried a couple of bat houses and so far the pvc can style is my favorite. You can purchase one of these through Bat Conservation and Management, Inc., a great company who provides quality information on bats. I’ve bought their houses before and been very happy with them!
I built a few pvc bat houses for friends and find they are fairly simple in design and hold up well in the weather. These are not step by step instructions, simply the basic idea for woodworkers of how one of these houses are put together.
The body of this bat house is made from 10″ diameter pvc and the top a 10″ diameter dock cap. It is painted with Krylon Fusion for Plastic spray paint in dark brown, a color suitable for my area. See What Color should I paint my bat house? by Bat Conservation International, Inc. for which color is appropriate for your climate.
The 10″ pvc body of the house is a total of 2′ without the dock cap roof. Ventilation is cut into the sides at 8″ tall from the bottom.
The mounting bracket is two 12″ heavy duty angle brackets, mounted 9″ from the bottom of the bat house body.
The inner baffles are made of 1/2″ untreated yellow pine, spaced at 3/4″. They are adhered into the body of the TOP of the house with a small dab of Liquid Nails on either wall side. That part bothers me so if you come up with a better idea, please tell me! It has to eventually come out, you may one decade need to replace or clean them. Bolts don’t work unfortunately. Liquid Nails releases a lot ‘o nasty as it cures, so please let it cure completely before mounting in your yard.
Between the baffles is two rows of small 1″ square blocks to keep the baffles separated. They are small so the bats may move freely past them.
There is a PET screen landing pad attached with small staples 6″ up the first long baffle. Make certain that the screen is tight and flat. This helps the bats get a grip when entering the house or moving to the bottom to exit.
PET screen used to be attached to the entire surface of the inner baffles, however it had been shown that sometimes pups or smaller bats can get caught in or under the screen. Only use the screening as a landing pad.
The dock cap is put on the top with a bead of clear latex caulk after the body of the house is painted. The caulk makes it easy for the top to be removed at a later date if needed, but still provide an air tight seal to retain the heat bats require.
And this house mounted:
A bit of advice is to go ahead and use a predator guard right away. Cats and snakes can climb 4×4 posts no problem. Ours is a 4×4 stovepipe squirrel baffle bought at a local Wild Birds Unlimited. It fits tightly and snakes can not get past it.
Must-visit bat links to let you know all about bats, alternative house plans, mounting instructions and anything else you may need. While I am just a backyard enthusiast, here you will find people who are authorities on bats.
Bat House Discussion Forum
Bat Conservation and Management
Pennsylvania Game Commission
We are conducting a bat study and have installed 16 bat nursery habitats. We are curious of your % of houses inhabited.