Construction of a shelter, house, birdhouse in Chauves-Souris

[Christophe]

Edit yes, butcher (that's what I understood) and leave only the bottom open, although when they nest in a hollow tree, the question does not arise.

Ah no obviously I still haven't been clear enough: the sides I intended to close in any case, the question is whether it is worth leaving these "free" cavities inside the shelter...

Thank you for the .pdf it is precisely a study which was made in my corner!

The type B model is the one I build (with the difference that I don't have 1 space but 3 and that the dimensions are much larger) and this configuration apparently gives good results in the region!

Yapluka!

[Christophe]

Here is the progress of the day ... I sanded, striated and fixed the partitions in the pallet as well as the front and rear plates ... 100% recovers except the screws and the brackets ... At the level of the spaces we will have :
a) Rear: 2 + 2 cm or 2 or 4 cm
b) Central: 2,5 cm
c) Before: 2,5 + 2 cm or 2,5 or 4,5 cm

Our friends will therefore have the choice between 2, 2,5, 4 and 4,5 cm of space + the inter-stud spaces ... in short, great luxury!

The + 2 cm is the extra empty space when there are no pallet boards (see the last photo to understand)

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With the front and back plates it's already pretty dark , below is the front plate:

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It's going to be tough and heavy... this is perhaps one of the flaws of this design: the total weight will exceed 25-30 kg I think ... so the installation at 4m high will not be obvious and it will be necessary to provide the fixings accordingly (but I already have an idea ...)

The rest tomorrow

[Christophe]

Errors to avoid: https://batmanagement.com/blogs/bat-roo ... ouses-fail

Except the point on recycling (and maybe the size, see last point ???) I think I have respected these instructions ... for the moment ...

Common bat house design and construction problems

Bad bat house designs are simply flawed from the start. They are often too small overall and contain crevices too large. Sometimes a critical detail is omitted, such as a landing plate. Usually these boxes cannot compete with a modern design, even after being upgraded by a creative hobbyist. Bad construction is a different matter, usually the box can be successful after some paint, caulk, extra screws, and extra roughening.

A single chamber box. Bats simply prefer larger structures which offer a wider range of stable temperatures. A tightly built single chamber bat house may be good "starter" box that would be great for giveaways to the general public.
Factory smooth interior crevices. All interior wood must be roughened for bats to readily cling to. Some commercial boxes staple screening to the inside of the box which may eventually fall off as condensation and urine rust the staples. A "bat house" seen for sale at a major hardware store has only one groove on the "landing plate"; this is totally unacceptable.
Unprotected roof. Roofs without shingles may last only a few seasons, once the roof is compromised the box will be incapable of retaining heat and fall into disuse.
Nailed together with unsealed seams. This type of box will warp and separate at the seams allowing unwanted ventilation and disuse.
Unpainted, unprotected exterior. Some manufacturers insist on leaving bat boxes unpainted. While in certain regions the natural wood color may be a suitable color, there is no good reason for the structure to go unprotected. While cedar is rot resistant, it will warp and separate the seams just as much as any other wood material.
Bad design. Bat research has proceeded at a very fast rate, thanks to improved communication among many different hobbyists and biologists across the country. For example, a tall open-bottomed bat house is now preferred over smaller closed bottom designs which tend to attract more pests.
Old planes. Bat house plans can be found in a variety of places, which is good. Unfortunately, many posters, books, and flyers were published years ago with now antiquated plans. Frighteningly, this information is still distributed by many reputable sources. A stack of absolutely horrid plans obtained from a state wildlife agency were seen distributed at a wildlife program in just a few years ago.
"Recycled" material. Some people construct bat houses of decent design but with lumber salvaged from demolished structures in effort to cut costs. As some pesticides can leave active residues for years, approach used lumber with care.
Unrealistic claims. For example, a seven chamber bat house was once observed with nearly 600 bats inside. However, our we still only rate that box at 300. This is because 600 bats in this size bat house is overcrowded and unhealthy.

In google translated this gives:

Common bats design and construction issues

Bad bat house designs are simply imperfect from the start. They are often too small overall and contain too large crevices. Sometimes a critical detail is omitted, such as a landing plate. Usually, these boxes cannot compete with modern design, even after being updated by a creative hobbyist. Poor construction is a different matter, usually the box can be successful after painting, caulking, additional screws, and additional roughness.

A one-chamber box. Bats simply prefer larger structures that offer a wider range of stable temperatures. A well constructed single bedroom bat house can be a good starter box which would be ideal for gifts given to the general public.

Smooth interior rooms. All interior wood should be roughened so that bats can grab onto it easily. Some commercial boxes have a filter inside the box that can eventually fall out as condensation and urine rust the staples. A "bat house" seen for sale in a large hardware store has only one groove on the "landing plate"; this is totally unacceptable.

Unprotected roof. Roofs without shingles may last only a few seasons, once the roof is compromised, the box will be unable to retain heat and will fall into disuse.

Nailed with unsealed seams. This type of box will deform and separate at the seams, allowing unwanted ventilation and de-excitation.

Unpainted and unprotected exterior. Some manufacturers insist on leaving the boxes of bats unpainted. While in some areas the color of natural wood may be an appropriate color, there is no good reason why the structure should not be protected. Although cedar resists decay, it warps and separates seams just as much as any other wooden material.

Bad design. Research on bats has progressed very quickly, thanks to better communication between many amateurs and biologists across the country. For example, a large open-bottom bat house is now preferred over smaller closed-bottom designs that tend to attract more pests.

Old plans. Bat house plans can be found in a variety of places, which is good. Unfortunately, many posters, books and pamphlets were published years ago with plans now obsolete. Scary, this information is still distributed by many reputable sources. A pile of totally horrible plans obtained from a state wildlife agency were seen distributed to a wildlife program a few years ago.

"Recycled materials. Some people are building bat houses of decent design, but with wood salvaged from demolished structures in order to reduce costs. Since some pesticides can leave active residues for years, approach used wood carefully.

Unrealistic claims. For example, a seven-chamber bat has already been observed with nearly 600 bats inside. However, we still only rate this box at 300. This is because 600 bats in this size bat house are overcrowded and unhealthy.

[Christophe]

It takes shape!

Front / rear and roof closures:

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Landing strip, the opening space is approximately 2 cm by 36 cm:

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Closing of the sides (I made a green gap, I did not have good size boards, these are new shelves that I had never assembled ...), one of the 2 sides is on hinges for observation or cleaning:

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A tricky thing was to find the right deformation of the hooks so that they maintain a constant pressure (darkness, air leakage ...), I do not know if it will hold over time, we will see ... otherwise I would distort the hook to maintain pressure

The next step: apply the roofing ... and find the best place in the garden (I think I will attach it to a tree at the bottom of the garden but I will have to cut some branches I think ...)

ps: Ahmed, my welds are good this time?

[Christophe]

Here it is finished!

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41 kg the thing !!, I told you it would be heavy ... climbing it in a tree will be difficult ...

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In terms of locations, I see 2 possibilities

Option A) In the oak at the bottom of the garden:

The -: need to cut 1 or 2 branches, difficult to set up, robust fixing required, exposed to precipitation and prevailing winds (West), difficult observation, branches which can prevent use ...

The +: free orientation, further from the house (quiet)

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Option B) On the balcony

The -: full orientation "EAST" (if fixed on the length of the balcony) or "SOUTH" (if fixed on the width) .... the SOUTH side is sunny only until 13-14h later in the shade of the house . So less heat input than a 100% SOUTH orientation (but overheating in summer will be avoided). Finally, it's the balcony of my room (I sleep 6 months with the window open and I'm afraid that some people will confuse their shelter and my room ...)

The advantages: much simpler fixation, simple observation, clear vegetation and good height, relatively well protected from precipitation and prevailing winds ...

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In my opinion, option B) is essential ... at least at the beginning ...

What do you think?

[Christophe]

And here is the video

[Christophe]

This manufacturer uses a plastic mesh as a hook, it's a good idea I think:

If the streaks I made are not enough, I would do the same ...

[Christophe]

Yesterday I came across two people completely from this local study group: http://plecotus.natagora.be/ I obviously told them about the shelter.

They proposed to come and install an ultrasonic detector in the garden for 1 or 2 nights: each species of bat having its own ultrasonic signature, we can easily identify the local species with such a detector!

I had an answer to one of my questions: a shelter can accommodate several different species at the same time!

They were very interested in my shelter, I showed them the video and I would give them feedback in a few weeks ... and we will then decide to place the detector or not

ps: the shelter has been finished for more than 1 week but I have not yet managed to put it up on the balcony ...

[torrent sites]

interesting as an achievement.

a little less than a month ago I saw a bald under a rafter of my roof (outside). then nothing, she was gone.
a little later I find lots of droppings on my terrace (almost the opposite of the first place) and a few days later the dead bat on the terrace.

Is there a way to attract others (the first came alone)

[Christophe]

Is there a way to attract others (the first came alone)

Yes raise mosquitoes!

Good without laughing, I read during my research in recent days that an apple placed near the birdhouse could attract them, but the 2 specialists I met this Sunday say no and that it can take several years for the nest box is occupied ... especially if the biotop around is favorable (forest at 200m) ...

Well I took my courage with 2 hands (and 2 feet and 1 rope) and I mounted the shelter on the balcony, not an easy task ... since I was alone!

Good, it's done!

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At the fixing level, I welded 2 brackets with 4 brackets which I painted quickly, the installation is done with a small damping (pipe insulation):

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So when I welded the stirrups, I noticed this interesting phenomenon: we can see the increase in temperature during the weld bead (disappearance of the bichromate treatment beyond a certain temperature, which seems fairly precise ...)

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Obviously one of the 2 stirrups was welded with more intensity than the other ...

ps: I welded in what direction?