> On Mar 19, 2008, at 9:55 AM, Laree Shulman wrote:
>
>> I'll let you know how
>>
>> Oh yeah - I also put up a bat house - hoping they'll eat some of the
>> gnats if I can attract the bats
>>
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> Hi All:
>
> Just returned from our four-week duty-trip (marital duty for me, not
> my husband) to Estonia, which in my humble opinion, has the most
> viciously insistent bugs (biting flies, mosquitoes) in the world.
> And they seem to be attracted to repellent. Lakes and wet places
> are in great abundance and bats, due to the cool climate are few and
> far in-between. I did not see any but I am told that there are some.
> So I am exactly 2737 posts behind (and that does not count the ones
> I did not get because Yahoo said I was bouncing my mails) all of
> which will be at least scanned eventually.
>
> To the subject of bat houses I have to say this from my own
> experience: they do not necessarily attract bats unless they are in
> the right location. Our old house has shutters that stay open at all
> times and they attracted bats as soon as they were installed about
> 30 years ago. The bats use the shutters on the different sides of
> the house depending on the weather. And they like to have huddle
> parties - the more the merrier. During the day you can hear
> arguments to the effect: "move over a little - I want that spot." It
> seems to me that they enjoy people noises and activities. When we
> installed bat houses in various places around the barn the bats
> originally ignored them. I decided that as long we have constructed
> the bat houses, the critters should make use of them. So I took a
> cardboard box, dumped a shutter-full of bats (about 45 or so) into
> the cardboard box and taped it under the new bat house. Please be
> careful: wear leather gloves (the critters have rather sharp little
> teeth). They got the message and there have been bats in that bat
> house ever since. BUT more bats still prefer to reside behind the
> shutters of the house.
>
> Their manure and piss does destroy the paint. It is caustic. BUT in
> my opinion, cleaning and repainting under the shutters now and then
> is a small price to pay for the great number of bugs they consume.
>
> The bats also like wood piles, but not anywhere near as much as
> shutters. The ideal distance between shutter and wall is less than
> 1/2 inch.
>
> Good luck with attracting bats to your place; they are our friends.
>
> Anneliese
>
