Super Rocket Roost - resin shell

I was wondering if there is a difference between the rocket box and the super rocket box?

The 4’’ Rocket contains only “wedge” crevices. The 8’’ Super Rocket contains both “wedge” crevices and more traditional “vertical” crevices found in nursery type bat houses. Super Rockets have the fewest steps for installation and simply slip over an existing post; 4’’ Rockets require splicing two posts together with brackets and drilling completely thru their 4’’ post.

You say that the bats will not roost on the treated post. Why is that? If not the wood, what will they cling to—and how do you know?

Bats do not roost against the treated post because the roosting spaces are not made from treated wood. This applies to both the Rocket Roost and Super Rocket. At most, bats may land on the treated post very briefly but that is the most contact they would have with it. If desired and available in your area, consider using a black locust post instead, as this will outlast a treated post but availability and cost may factor in.

How many bats does it hold and how high off the ground should it be?

Capacity is assumed to be 2 bats per inch of roost space, but the Super Rocket Roost is difficult to estimate because of so many crevices and shapes built into it. A simple estimate puts the Super Rocket Roost capacity at 126 bats at the minimum. Capacity really isn't the attractive quality for bats however, it is the internal structure variation and thermal qualities that make this bat house a winner.

Using a 16' post 3' into the ground, the bottom of the Roost will be about 12' off the ground and the top of it will be about 16' above ground.

My only concern with the larger ones is the weight but I can find a way to raise it. I would rather mount on a steel pole so no rot and no need for raccoon proofing.

The Super Rocket Roost itself weighs 35 lbs. With it mounted on a 4’’x6’’x16’ post, 2 people can fairly easily lift it into place upright into a 3’ deep hole, despite the entire assembly now weighing over 100 lbs. with the post. It will not fall over once in the hole, assuming the hole is not over-dug in diameter (it only needs to be 7’’ or so in diameter). You can paint the pole before lifting it, and use a post protector to insulate it from the ground. These practices will have the pole standing for 30+ years.    Raccoons would not fit into the Roost box nor could they reach more than a few inches into the box, so I don’t think they would be a problem. Bats likely would not emerge if there was a raccoon clinging to the post just under the emergence point.

Are you saying with the larger versions and a single post the entire post is pressure treated? And that is not an issue for bat health?

For the Super Rocket, although a full 16’ PT post is used as the base, bats do not actually roost on the PT post. At most they may land on it, but the roost itself is not PT.   The Super Rocket Roost sold mostly assembled. To finish it, you would slip it on a post and secure with a few lag bolts, then slip the plastic hull over it. The base of the post should have a post protector slipped over it. The post around the bottom of the roost exit should be roughened up with a utility knife. At that point it could be painted if desired but otherwise lifted into place and cemented. 

I love in Florida, do you have a light colored option? Seems like this would get too hot. Or... Could I paint it?

Hi- the Super Rocket Roost is available only in dark brown or green. For FL I would recommend placing it where it receives some morning sun, then is shaded the rest of the day. This is a very tall roost and around the bottom 1/3 or 1/4 the interior matches ambient temperature in our tests. A good strategy when establishing a new colony is try a bat house in full sun, and another that receives morning sun, then is shaded in the afternoon.  - JC

Given the relatively scarcity of 4" X6" PT poles, have you tried using 4" X 4" poles and shimming them to fit snugly in the slot in the base of the roost? Any issues doing this? a 4" X 4" should be able to support 35 lbs. Thanks in advance.

Hi- we are starting to use 2- 2''x6''x16' PT boards, gluing them with Titebond wood glue, and fastening together with 2.5'' deck screws to make a 4''x6'' post. There are several advantages to this: a 2x6x16 board is commonly available at Lowes/Home Depot for ~$12. By joining two together, they may resist warping better than a single, solid 4x6 post will. Any PT posts/boards can be stained, but you should wait 60-90 days for them to dry. We will soon have expanded Learning Center info on this and also how to make a pivot post to lower a bat house to the ground easier. -JC

I have a 20’ 4x4” steel post, currently an unused light pole, securely mounted on a concrete base. Can the super rocket and your other boxes be modified to use this post? Can your 2-pole model be mounted on this pole? Thanks

Hi- The Super Rocket may not fit over the post because the actual dimensions are built around a 4''x6'' post, 3.5x5.5 actual measurements. Any of our bat houses can be mounted to the side of that post, most easily by first attaching PT wood mounting brackets to the post itself, then adding any bat house to the brackets. You could also bolt metal brackets onto the post, then attach a bat house to the bracket. "L" shaped steel would provide a "rest" for the bat house to sit on while attaching. Small lengths of metal can be found in the hardware store, but the hardest problem will be raching the mounting site since the pole is already installed. You can even attach a Super Rocket Roost to the side of the pole by adding appropriate spacers to the post first, then bolting the roost to the spacers by literally bolting completey thru the Super Rocket Roost.

Hello, I work for a State Park in western NC and we are planning on purchasing a super rocket roost. We have had the funds approved but need to know about the tax exemption issue on your end. We are prohibited from paying sales tax and would like to know if we need to fill out a tax exemption form for BCM before we can purchase this item. Please let me know and thank you very much.

We only need to charge tax for orders in Pennsylvania, so no need for extra forms elsewhere. Thanks!

I live in an urban area where I have seen bats. I wold like to install a box. And wonder if this model would be suitable for urban bats in the mid-Atlantic region. I was actually thinking to place it above my one story carriage house with souther exposure and green lots on two sides (one very open and one lot full of mosquitos).

Hello- the Rocket Roosts are likely to attract small colonies of any bat species that uses artificial roosts. We actually developed this version after seeing big brown bats roosting under wire covers on the sides of utility poles. That said, we recommend several different bat houses if budget and space allow, then let the bats tell you which one and where they prefer.

I was looking on pricing for supply and delivery to Windsor, Ontario, Canada for 12 structures? Also provide delivery dates. Thanks

We presently have almost that many available now, with others in production available usually shipping within 2-3 weeks.

Can the Super Rocket Box be mounted to an existing telephone pole?

Hi not really... the bottom of the Super Rocket roost is designed to slip over a 4x6 post. The telephone pole is too big. However... you could bolt a short section of 4x6 onto the side of the telephone pole, then put the Super Rocket Roost on that. In fact, the telephone pole would be large enough there would be space to bolt at least two, possibly a total of three 4x6 peices around the telephone pole, therefore accomodating 3 roosts! You'll need to measure and make sure you have enough space... each Super Rocket Rosst is 8'' in diameter.

What are shipping costs for the Super Rocket Box?

Hello- to determine shipping on any product simply add to the cart and enter the shipping address. You will see the shipping costs before entering an payment information. If you are interested in a quantity of any item and would like to pick up in Carlisle, PA we can arrange an appointment and save shipping costs. Place that order to our office at 717-241-2228 to avoid the shipping cost.

I purchased a Super Rocket Roost and am considering post options... I'm considering a 4x6x16 cedar post rather than pressure treated, is there any downside to that choice (other than expense).

Hello- no the bats won't care if it is PT or cedar. Whichever is used, please use the plastic post protector sleeve on the base to insulate the post from ground contact for best longevity.

Is the Super Rocket available for delivery to Canada? Our barn just came down (direct hit by a tornado) and we need to provide homes for our bats!

Hi sorry to hear of your loss. All of our products are available to ship almost anywhere internationally. Simply add the product to your cart with the delivery address to see the quote. We cannot ship to P.O. boxes.

I am also interested in the BCM Super Rocket Roost. Do you have any of these available for purchase.

Hello- generally if you can add the bat house to our shopping cart and complete an order, it is in stock or will be in stock within ~10 days.

Does this type of house “self clean” like the other traditional style bat house? Do the droppings fall out onto the ground?

Hello - all of out bat houses are designed so that droppings do not acculuminate in the roost; they eventually fall out.

Your Super Rocket Box page says they ship in 10 days. Does that mean that you will send it out 10 days from now, or that I will have it within 10 days?

Hello - "Ships in..." usually means it ships in approximately that about of time indicated, so allow a few more days for transit. This phrasing is not updated daily on the web pages, so if we happen to have a bunch of SRBs one could ship that day after ordering. Please write sales@batmanagement.com or call the office 9-3 EST at 717-241-2228 for the best info on stock on hand.

1)Does the color matter for the rocket roust in San Antonio, Texas? 2) Is there an advantage to attract bats to get both the Rocket Roust and one of the condos?

The Mexican freetail bat is most prevalent in San Antonio... the bridges and caves with the famous summer emergences are all those bats. They will readily use any of our bat houses in tan or brown color. For best results try placing one in ~4 hours of direct morning sun and also another that gets ~8 hours direct morning sun. Those bats will use the Super Rocket Roost, but may quickly fill it up. The SRR is somewhat dark colored for mid-south TX, so if you try one you might try only after you have a colony established, and perhaps position it where it does get afternoon shade. -JC

Does the super rocket mount on top of a metal pole? We have an unused metal pole in my yard id love to mount this to.

If the pole is sufficient wall thickness to support the weight,  you could adapt the Super Rocket Roost to it. The easiest thing to do would be obtain a ~3' piece of 4''x6'' post material (you could screw/glue two 2x6 together). This will attach to the Super Rocket Roost and create the intended bat landing area. You'd then need to adapt the 4x6 to the metal post in some way.

Hi, what cleaning is needed for your Super Rocket Roost? Since the droppings fall out is any maintenance needed inside of the roost? KE

Hi there- generally, none of our bat houses need any sort of maintenance; we build the exterior to outlast pretty much every other bat house for sale. The exception might be the DayLodge as the sides are still wood, and so they would need re-stained every ~5 years. 

There is nothing to really "clean" with our bat houses. Possibly you might get aggressive yellowjackets taking up residence; these need dealt with. Paper wasps and mud dauber wasps are ok. See more in our manuals here: https://batmanagement.com/pages/manuals particularly "All About Bat Houses".

Do Mexican Freetails use “wedge” crevices?

Yes- but if you are targeting them we recommend larger capacity bat houses such as those in the Colony- series. https://batmanagement.com/products/colonycondo

Thanks- JC

I live in a suburban area and was originally interested in the rocket roost, as my space is somewhat limited. I have two small children and a medium sized (50lb) dog who regularly use the backyard where the roost would be located. First, do you still sell regular rocket roosts, and second, how concerned should I be about my dog getting sick from an unintentional interaction with a bat—especially a sick or injured one?

Hello- we only offer the Super Rocket Roost in that type of roost at this time. The best thing for dogs/cats would be having them rabies vaccinated; that protects them when playing with any critters they inevitably play with outside; raccoons, squirrels, etc. -JC

Hello, Would the Super Rocket Roost - 8''x56'' be acceptable for mitigation with USFWS in WV? Thank you!

Yes- both the Super Rocket Roost and ColonyLodge bat houses are excellent choices for long term mitigation projects. The ColonyLodge Super Duplex is particularly well suited being on twin posts.

What is the width of the vertical chambers in the Super Rocket Roost?

Hello- The vertical crevices are 0.75'' wide, and the outside of them vary up to ~1'' with the curvature of the exterior shell. Thanks- JC