Bat House Forum

[kathim]

We have 2 bat houses mounted on an 18 ft pole. We have had bats for several years. Last year we noticed ants going up the pole. Now this year the kevlar cloth is hanging out of the houses. Any ideas about what got into the houses? Will the bats come back if a predator attacked them last year? We live in NE Texas about 60 miles southeast of Dallas on a lake. What is the best way to get the bats to come back?
Thanks,

Kathim

[IowaNate]

The bat houses will probably need repaired if the cloth you used for them to grip is hanging out of the house. Ants could definately pose a problem, and they are capable of attacking baby bats especially. Try coating 6" of the pole with a thick layer of petroleum jelly (Vaseline) about 2 feet up from the ground. Hopefully this will deter the ants, although you might need to reapply it every so often.

I hope you have success!
Nate

[kathim]

Thanks for the response, we think the trees have grown enough for the squirrels to be able to jump to the house. We are going to trim the trees and repair the houses. Hopefully the bats will come back.

[Joe Spencer]

Kathim, I have used Diatomaceous earth (found cheaply harmless to the environment and other critters) to work great on ants! But not unlike Nate's suggestion, Diatomaceous earth will only last until the next rain so you may have to reapply. just sprinkle a 1" high by 3" deep circle on the ground around the post/pole. After the rain just repeat the process. Diatomaceous earth scratches the ants' exoskeletons and they quickly dehydrate and die. Coupled with the petro jelly suggestion from Nate, you will have a good non-chemical double wammy against the ants. Good luck!

[Terry Lobdell]

Another thing that works for ants is to hang a bird feeder right over the location. A few years ago I had potted 2 small blueberry bushes and had a severe ant infestation. When all other methods failed, I hung a bird feeder with black oil sunflower seeds over the containers and in about 7-10 days the ants were all gone. I've been successful with this method twice with potted blueberry bushes. I suppose it might work at the base of a pole.

[Joe Spencer]

Terry, do you know exactly how the ants were affected by this process?

[Terry Lobdell]

Joe, sorry for this late reply, but the ants were either eaten by the birds or maybe it was the frequent presence of the birds there eating the sunflower seeds which may have made them leave. Or maybe it was a combination of both. Anyways, it worked. Jerry Baker even published my idea in one of his newsletters.

[Bandit15]

Do squirrels pose risks to bats/bat houses? I live in a densely-wooded area with many squirrels and am looking for places to mount bat houses.

[Terry Lobdell]

I've never had problems with squirrels bothering any of my bat boxes....