Showing posts with label bats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bats. Show all posts

7/26/2012

Looker Products, HS11 OBC Bat House Birdhouse Review

Looker Products, HS11 OBC Bat House Birdhouse
Average Reviews:

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I looked at several bat houses before buying this one. I chose this particular bat house because it is made to the Organization For Bat Conservation Specifications. Some of the other bat houses that I looked at online did not indicate that they were built according to the same standards. For instance, most did not indicate if they were properly caulked or even constructed with screws rather than nails.
To be upfront, I was initially going to buy a bat house from the Organization for Bat Conservation itself. (The organization was recommended to me by an article in a national gardening magazine on attracting bats to your garden to control insects). However, the organization's bat houses and bat house kits are sold as fund raisers, so they cost a bit more than I was hoping to pay. I looked up their specifications for building bat houses, but decided that it would be easier for me to find something on amazon.com that fit the specifications rather than build my own.
This company was the only one I found that clearly stated whether they followed the organization's recommendations. Some of the other boxes were built to other standards, such as to Audubon Society Standards, which would probably be OK too. However, most of the other vendors listed how easy it would be to attract bats with their boxes without giving an ounce of information on how well their products were constructed. Unfortunately, the reviews for the other boxes did not give much information on construction either. This one met the construction standards that I was looking for, had more than one chamber, and was reasonably priced for the quality.
The bat house arrived on time and well-packed. It also came with some literature on whether or not the bat house ought to be painted/stained - and if so, what color. Again, this is consistent with what I found through the Bat Conservation website (www.batcon.org). The same literature included information on hanging, maintenance, and how long it may take before the bats move in. Overall, I am satisfied and would recommend the product to others. However, be aware that it does not come with a pole and it comes unstained/unpainted. (Granted, this appears to be consistent with all of the other bat houses available online, so I don't view it as a problem).

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7/07/2012

Looker OBC Bat House Extra Large Review

Looker OBC Bat House Extra Large
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I will post a follow up to this review at the end of the Fall and let everyone know if I have gotten any bats yet. This product has mesh netting along the entire inside and 5 chambers. Everything is solid, screws were used, caulk is present and I smelt the cedar before I even opened the box.

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6/12/2012

Schrodt Designs Model CBH Colony Bat House Review

Schrodt Designs Model CBH Colony Bat House
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I bought and installed this bat house last month (August 2010). I chose it because I planned to mount it on a post and not the side of a house (so I wanted something long and narrow, rather than wide and flat, like some of the others for sale). I have separately uploaded a photo of the installed bat house for those who want a sense of scale. No bats have moved in yet, but it's only been a month. Hopefully by next summer it will have attracted some guests. I am no expert, but I gave this product four stars because it seemed well constructed and was easy to install. The brass moon on the front was also a nice touch.

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5/07/2012

Stovall 4H Woodpecker House Review

Stovall 4H Woodpecker House
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We put this house up in January (we live in Central Florida) and within 2 weeks it was being visited by our local woodpecker pair. I don't think they actually moved in, maybe because they already had a nest set up somewhere else, but at least they've noticed it and I've seen them going in from time to time. Maybe next year it will get lived in.
I've also seen squirrels go in and heard them digging around, but they don't seem to be living in it either. We'll see what happens as time goes by. I'm happy with it, though, and the critters seem to have no problem with it either.

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5/05/2012

Stovall 10H Nursery Bat House Review

Stovall 10H Nursery Bat House
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The bat house from Stovall seems to be pretty well constructed, for the most part. Although, the vent at the bottom is larger ( about 3/4" or so) than the 1/2" that is usually specified in plans that are available for making one yourself. I don't know if that size vent is a problem or not. The stick that you see sticking out the top of the bat house, is the hanger. There were no real instructions that came with the bat house. There is a sticker on that hanger stick that tells you to swivel it up and reinstall the 2 screws that come with the house. There is a pilot hole drilled through the top of that stick, apparently for a user supplied screw to mount the house.
The house weighs about 17 lbs and I didn't think that 1 screw would be sufficient to attach the house to my pole. I drilled another pilot hole a couple of inches below the original mounting hole and attached the house to my pole with 2 #8 screws. The 2nd screw split the hanger stick pretty bad, so I had to make another one. The included hanger stick doesn't seem to be cedar like the outside of the house. I had some cedar planks, so the new hanger board that I made is cedar and will last as long as the house.
The house has 3 chambers inside, with fine netting attached to the surfaces. There is no landing platform for the bats, that you see on many of the bat house designs and I couldn't detect any openings between the chambers. I don't know if any of these things are an issue for bat occupancy of the house.
I mounted the house on a pole, generally following the instructions found in this booklet, The Bat House Builder's Handbook: Second Edition [BAT HOUSE BUILDERS HANDBK -OS], since there were no instructions with the Stovall bat house. If you don't already know how to install one of these houses in an optimal manner for bat occupancy, I'd suggest buying one of these type books.


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1/22/2012

Heath Outdoor Products Deluxe Bat House Review

Heath Outdoor Products Deluxe Bat House
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I was considering building my own bat house but after pricing materials and factoring in time... I decided to buy two of them. While I still haven't ruled out building a large size one. I wanted to see if this would draw some bats.
Oh for those that can't figure out why I am trying to draw bats around out house, it is to deal with bugs and mosquitoes. I grew up on a lake and I don't remember being plagued like I am were we live now, one big difference we had a lot of bats at the lake.
I am looking for multiple ways to control mosquitoes around our home. If I can get the bats to move in, I'll let them do the work. While it is a green alternative, that is not my main motivation. I hate putting chemicals around myself and family, don't care to burn propane for the co2 generators (cost) and like to be outside without the bugs.

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11/14/2011

Stovall 5H Duck Box Review

Stovall 5H Duck Box
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Quality made heavy duty cedar. Great design with easy cleanout. Will last for years.I could not have bought the material for this cost.

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