FREE SHIPPING within Continental US on select bat houses • Bat approved by Merlin Tuttle's Bat Conservation and Bat Conservation International

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Types of Backyard Bat Houses

BCM offers a range of bat houses, from the traditional plywood DayLodge and DayRoost DIY Kits to the larger, rugged, low maintenance ColonyLodge.

We even have an artificial tree type known as the Super Rocket Roost.

 

Once a colony is established, scale up to create larger capacity structures.

Our double+ sized Super Duplex, and even larger  Modular Condos incorporate multiple ColonyLodges to form roosts with capacity of thousands.

 

Most temperate bat species move between cold, but not freezing, winter roosts and warm to relatively hot summer roosts. In certain areas, several different bat species occupy bat houses year round! During both winter and summer, bats become very loyal to their homes. Even so, populations are slow to increase because bats have very low reproductive rates, with most mothers giving birth to only a single young each year. If crowding becomes a problem in a bat house, a second bat house can be installed, or a larger “condo-style” roost constructed. 

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DayRoost

The DayRoost shares many modern design features of our larger bat houses, but in a very managable lightweight single chamber footprint. Once scorned as being "too small" for bats, single chamber bat houses are actually rather successful when attached to buildings, as bats benifit from the radient heat of the structure. DayRoosts are economical, making them great for establishing new colonies by installing several in an area with different solar exposures.

 

The DayRoost is available assembled or a Kit for DIY’er’s who take pride in a job well done. All pieces are ready to assemble with hardware and caulk, and construction can take as little as 15 minutes making a fun project for kids and groups. Finish with a stain or paint appropriate for your area and install with our mount kit (which cleverly adds a second roost crevice) for easy attachment to a building.

 

Materials: yellow-pine 1/2’ plywood. Roof: seamless recycled plastic. Dimensions: 16.5”H x 16”W x 2.5”D. Weight: 10.5 lbs.

Internal Chambers: 1 with 7/8” spacing

Capacity:  approx. 31 bats @ 2 per linear inch + 32 on mount

Available unpainted, either Assembled or DIY Kit

 

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DayLodge

The DayLodge is a great all-purpose modern backyard bat house that is a good compromise between size and cost. Features include 1/2'' wood construction with screws and glue, 2''x4'' sides, seamless recycled plastic lumber roof, heat sink, front and rear vents, 4'' landing area, 3 roost crevices of 2 sizes. As with all our bat houses, interior spaces are pre-roughened in random directions. Our mounting kit adds another roost crevice, and the mounting scheme literally pins the entire bat house to the mount ensuring the roof and front never seperate. Often DayLodges are mounted back-to-back on a post providing extra microclimate options. This is the most solid 3 chamber bat house we have produced.

 

Materials: yellow-pine 1/2’ plywood. Roof: recycled plastic. Dimensions 16.75”H x 16”W x 4.5”D. Weight: 13.5 lbs

Internal Chambers: 2 with 7/8” and 1 with 15/16’’ spacing

Capacity:  approx. 98 bats @ 2 per linear inch + 32 on mount

Available unpainted, either Assembled or DIY Kit

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ColonyLodge

The ColonyLodge is the largest capacity single bat house available from BCM. It features a seamless plastic outer shell providing a safe, watertight, draft free shelter for decades to come. Inside bats find 4 roost permenantly roughened crevices of two sizes, plus an attic space that allows roosting against the roof. ColonyLodges are vented in the front and rear to regulate temperature. Four colors available and no painting is necessary. ColonyLodges have been successful mounted on buildings or posts, and are often installed back-to-back providing extra microclimate options.

 

Materials: plastic roto-molded outer shell with 4-chamber wood roost cluster inside. Dimensions: 24”H x 18”W x 5.75”D. Weight: 20 lbs

Capacity: approx. 210 bats @ 2 per  linear inch of roosting crevice, and double stacking the 1.5’’ crevice. Additional 32 on mount.

 

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Merlin Tuttle highlights some of the key features of a great, modern bat house, using our ColonyLodge bat house as great example.

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Super Rocket Roost

The Super Rocket Roost is an artificial tree that incorporates several shapes and sizes of roost crevices simulating a dead tree. Bats can move all around all sides, and the extra tall length provides an unprecedented temperature gradient. A thick plastic vented shell shelters the roost cluster for decades. As with all our bat houses, Super rocket Roosts are designed so that guano falls out naturally. No painting required, arrives ready-to-install.

 

Materials: UV-resistant plastic roto-molded outer shell or wooden roost core. Dimensions: 56”H x 8”D. Weight: 35 lbs

Capacity: “dozens” to ~100, available in dark brown.

 

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Super Duplex

The Super Duplex Bat House provides a large, long term bat sanctuary for large backyards, parks, long term mitigation, and wildlife management areas. Twin 4''x6'' treated posts (obtained locally) provide redundancy and strength against high winds and long term deterioration. The space between the posts is filled with hand-roughened roost baffles, and covered with an aluminum roof. Our ColonyLodge are added in a back-to-back bat configuration. The ColonyLodge features slots in the back allowing bats to move into various sized crevices into the middle of the structure, or switch roost boxes to find their preferred microclimate. The standard Super Duplex configuration may hold approximately ~600+ bats! 

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Modular Condos

The Modular Bat Condo is the best solution when providing a large, long term bat sanctuary on ranches, farms, large backyards, parks, environmental mitigation, and wildlife management areas.

 

Modular Condos are supported by dual treated posts for redundancy and capped with an aluminum roof. The space between the posts is filled with permenantly roughened roost baffles dramatically increasing roost and cool-off space. ColonyLodge bat houses are added in a back-to-back bat configuration. These feature slots in the backs allowing bats to move into various sized crevices in the middle of the structure, or switch roost boxes to find their preferred microclimate. Use different colored ColonyLodge bat houses for maximum microclimate options. The 2x2 configuration may hold approximately ~1,232 bats using the 2 bats per linear inch rule! 

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Learn more about installing bat houses . . .

Backyard Bat Houses

Learn the differences between our base bat houses suitable for starting backyard bat colonies.

Bat Houses

Siting and Color

Consider the options on where to locate your bat house so it's good for bats and -for you-.

Siting and Color

Installing a Bat House

Trees, buildings, or poles?
Installing a bat house on something high can be a job, here are suggestions on how to move it along.

Install a Bat house

Maintaining a Bat House

Our bat houses are low maintainance, but there are some long term situations to be aware of.

Maintenance

Human Health Concerns

Bats attract more than their fair share of negative press, here are some facts to help prospective bat landlords rest easier.

Human Health Concern

Can my bat house be too hot?

Advice from real-world experts on how to recognize when is too hot, when to be concerned, and how to mitigate. 

Overheating Concerns