Going to bat against
bugs
Try natural biological insect control.
| |
A healthy bat colony supplements
traditional insecticides. |
The evidence suggests that a typical bat colony can make a difference to superintendents
who want to use natural biological insect control as part of their program.
"In one summer season," explains Dr. John Whitaker, professor of life sciences
at Indiana State University, "the 150 bats of an average Midwestern maternity colony of
big brown bats can easily eat 16,000 June bugs, along with 38,000 cucumber beetles, 19,000
stinkbugs, and 30,000 leafhoppers. These estimates are very conservative and do not include
the many other insects eaten."
If you want to start or nurture a bat colony on your course, look for evidence of bats
already roosting nearby. You have a good chance of enticing the mammals to your bat houses
if they already live, or are attempting to live, in buildings near you.
And why wouldn't they? Bats generally thrive in areas where there is a mixture of natural
vegetation, and where there's plenty of direct exposure to sun and water nearby.
To attract bats, follow these guidelines from The Bat Builder's
Handbook, a publication of Bat Conservation International, Inc.
[(800) 538-2287 or http://www.batcon.org.]
If you're building your houses, use a combination of exterior grade
plywood and cedar. Don't use pressure-treated wood. Be sure to caulk
all seams.
Make sure your bat houses are at least two feet tall, 14 or more
inches wide, with a three- to six-inch landing area that extends
below the entrance.
Any number of roosting chambers will work, but having more is better.
Place roost partitions 3/4 to one inch apart.
Roughen all landing areas. Scratch wood surfaces horizontally or
cover them with durable plastic screening.
Build vents six inches from the bottoms of all houses.
Remove wasp nests in late winter or early spring before wasps or
bats return.
Build or buy open-bottomed houses so birds, mice, squirrels and
parasites are less likely to set up camp, and so guano does not
accumulate.
If your area gets average high temperatures in July of 80 degrees
or less, your bat houses should get at least 10 hours of sun and
should be painted black.
Bat shelters are available from Southern States Dealers. |
You'll need less direct sunlight - about six hours
a day - if your average high temperatures in July average less than
100 degrees, but more than 80 degrees. In the 85 to 95 degree range,
paint the bat house dark brown or gray. If your July temperatures
usually hover around 95 to 100 degrees, paint the bat house medium
or light colors.
Pick a site within a quarter-mile of water.
Mount the houses on poles or wooden or stone buildings, preferably
under eaves. Bats take twice as long to locate houses on trees and
do not like roosting in houses attached to metal siding.
Mount houses at least 12 feet from the ground.
To protect bats from predators, install the houses 20 to 25 feet
from the nearest obstacle. Although it is not as safe for the bats,
they find houses more quickly along forest or water edges where
they often fly.
Do not locate the houses near bright lights.
After following all of these steps, if you're still having problems attracting bats to your houses,
experiment. Move houses into more or less direct sunlight. |
