For those who are at all handy, the idea of building a ‘bat house’ to help out our only flying mammal has a lot of appeal. Some boards, nails and glue and you can have a home for bats up and ready for accommodation in an afternoon. But is it really that simple?
Installation of bat boxes is frequently suggested by bat conservation groups as a conservation or enhancement tool for citizens wishing to assist bat populations. However, it is unknown if boxes are beneficial or detrimental to local bat populations. It is possible that these small, isolated roost structures may be counter-productive to conservation and recovery efforts, especially if they do not provide an appropriate range of microclimates for maternity colonies and could thus lead to mortalities or lower reproductive success.
Learn more about two batbox projects that WCS Canada is involved in, aimed at determining the effect of batboxes on the health of bats in Canada: